UN refugee agency warns Gaza inching closer to famine
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"Israel's" use of starvation as a weapon of war has resulted in an alarming situation where the vast majority of people worldwide experiencing famine are located in Gaza.
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Children walk through rubble in Rafah, southern Gaza, after an Israeli strike, on January 13, 2024. (AFP)
The president of the UN Organization for Palestinian Refugees has warned that the clock is "ticking fast toward famine" in Gaza, as the war on Gaza enters its 100th day.
Without explicitly criticizing "Israel" for what he called a "man-made disaster", UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini stated Saturday that the crisis had been exacerbated by dehumanizing language and the use of food, water, and fuel as weapons of war.
UNRWA, furthermore, called the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has killed nearly 24,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly 2 million more Palestinians – one of the world’s “most complex and challenging” operations.
In a tweet on Sunday following 100 days of "Israel’s" war on Gaza, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said:
“The massive destruction, displacement, hunger & loss of last 100 days are staining our shared humanity.”
The massive destruction, displacement, hunger & loss of last 100 days are staining our shared humanity
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) January 14, 2024
The humanitarian operation has become one of the most complex & challenging in the world
Due to tight siege on #GazaStrip, aid delivered is not nearly enough to meet the needs pic.twitter.com/5MQn3yNe9I
Indeed, for 100 days, the Israeli occupation has been deliberately wiping out residential neighborhoods across the Gaza Strip, aiming to extinguish life in the region.
100 days of Israeli aggression on #Gaza.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 14, 2024
Picture enduring endless bombings, relentless hunger, and endless homelessness for a staggering 100 days.
For a full 100 days, the people of Gaza have grappled with hunger and thirst. For 100 days, the people of Gaza have been waking up… pic.twitter.com/tILgDK3o9s
"Israel's" use of starvation as a weapon of war has resulted in an alarming situation where the vast majority of people worldwide experiencing famine are located in Gaza, as indicated by a recent report by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), Truthout highlighted.
Humanitarian workers in Gaza have reported that some are going up to 3 days without food.
Naouar Labidi, a senior officer with the World Food Programme (WFP), emphasized the "unique" character of the food security situation, calling it "unprecedented".
Labidi noted that even in Yemen and Somalia, never has 100% of the population been food insecure like in Gaza.
Lazzarini called the massive death toll and destruction a "stain" on shared humanity, acknowledging that the living conditions in the strip are "inhumane" and noting that the spread of disease is rampant as Gazans attempt to survive.
He expressed that "the plight of children in Gaza is especially heartbreaking. An entire generation of children is traumatized and will take years to heal."
'Israel' has committed 2000 massacres in 100 days
On Sunday, Ashraf al-Qudra, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, stated that during the 100 days of the heinous Israeli aggression on Gaza, the Israeli occupation has deliberately destroyed the healthcare system and its infrastructure, leading to its complete collapse.
The spokesperson further added that the occupation has also intentionally targeted 150 health facilities, rendering 30 hospitals and 53 health centers inoperative, and destroyed more than 121 ambulances.
Al-Qudra pointed out that the occupation has killed 337 healthcare professionals and detained, under harsh circumstances, about 99 others. Al-Qudra highlighted that the occupation committed 12 massacres against Palestinian families in Gaza in the past 24 hours, killing 125 and injuring 265.
With this, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health announced an increase in the toll of the Israeli aggression to 23,968 martyrs and 60,582 injuries since October 7, 2023.
