NRC says staff in Gaza fainting due to hunger amid Israeli blockade

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
22 Jul 2025 23:12
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The Norwegian Refugee Council says it has run out of aid supplies in Gaza, with staff going hungry, as "Israel" blocks the entry of hundreds of relief trucks for over 145 days.

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Iman Shabat, a mother of five, carries a sack of flour unloaded from a humanitarian aid convoy that reached Gaza City from the northern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (AP)

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) announced on Tuesday that it has completely run out of humanitarian supplies in the Gaza Strip, with some staff members now facing hunger.

“We distributed our last tent, our last food parcel, and our last relief item. There is nothing left,” said NRC Secretary-General Jan Egeland in an interview with Reuters.

Egeland criticized Israeli authorities for deliberately blocking aid deliveries, stating that hundreds of trucks filled with tents, food, water, and educational materials remain stuck in warehouses or in Egypt.

“There are hundreds of truckloads sitting idle, costing Western donors a fortune, but they are not allowed to enter. That’s why we are extremely angry, our mission is to help,” he said. “Israel is not cooperating. They just want to obstruct our work.”

Staff facing hunger, operations under threat

The NRC operates in Gaza with 64 Palestinian staff members and two international employees. Due to escalating threats and "Israel's" forced displacement of Gaza's residents, 33 employees had to be relocated from Deir al-Balah on Sunday.

With fuel supplies dwindling, the council warned that clean drinking water is rapidly running out. In recent weeks, NRC was able to provide water to approximately 100,000 people in central and northern Gaza, but that supply is now nearly exhausted.

According to the NRC, no aid trucks have been allowed into Gaza for 145 consecutive days. This blockade has halted the delivery of all humanitarian essentials, including shelter materials, food, and water purification equipment.

Egeland's remarks echo those made earlier the same day by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, who reported that agency staff in Gaza are fainting on duty due to hunger and exhaustion.

15 Gazans succumb to hunger, malnutrition in 24 hrs

A number of Palestinians, including a baby, died on Tuesday as a result of Israeli-enforced starvation in the Gaza Strip, where a deepening humanitarian crisis continues to unfold alongside relentless airstrikes.

According to local reports, four more Palestinians died from hunger in the past few hours: an infant in northern Gaza, one person in the central Strip, and a 14-year-old child alongside a woman in the southern city of Khan Younis.

The Gaza Ministry of Health confirmed that, over the past 24 hours alone, 15 people, including four children, died due to malnutrition and starvation. This brings the total number of deaths from hunger-related causes to 101, among them at least 80 children.

Since March 2, "Israel" has imposed a complete humanitarian blockade on #Gaza, cutting off food, medicine, and fuel to over 2 million Palestinians.#AlMayadeen brings you live coverage of the global day of protest under the slogan #NoStarvation, as demonstrators worldwide demand… pic.twitter.com/hBPgbPXccI
, Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 20, 2025

Dr. Fadel Naeem, Director of Al-Ahli (Baptist) Hospital in Gaza, told AFP that medical teams, including doctors, technicians, and administrative staff, are themselves enduring extreme deprivation.

“Our staff continue working to save the lives of injured civilians and patients, while their own bodies are falling apart,” said Naeem. “They are starving, deprived of food, sleep, and rest.”