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The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced alarming numbers about the malnutrition suffered by residents of the Gaza Strip, especially children, while a United Nations-backed report warned of a catastrophic nutritional situation for half the population and of imminent famine.
UNRWA said that 28% of children under the age of two in Khan Yunis and the central Gaza Strip suffer from acute malnutrition, and explained that more than 10% of children under the age of two suffer from severe wasting in those areas.
The organization indicated that the Israeli authorities have facilitated the entry of only 25% of the scheduled aid into the northern Gaza Strip so far.
UNRWA also warned that famine in the Gaza Strip would affect all its residents.
On a related level, a food security assessment supported by the United Nations said on Monday that half of Gaza’s population is suffering from catastrophic hunger, at a time when famine is expected to strike the northern Gaza Strip at any time between now and next May, in the absence of any urgent intervention. To prevent this.
Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), said that having 50% of the entire population at catastrophic levels close to famine is unprecedented.
This equates to about 1.1 million Palestinians suffering from “catastrophic food insecurity” due to the war launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip, according to the “Integrated Interim Classification of Food Security” report.
Famine outbreak
The classification system, developed by the United Nations and relief agencies, classifies famine levels on a scale from one to five, and is used by the United Nations or governments to determine whether a famine should be declared.
The report stated that acute malnutrition among children under the age of five is progressing at a record pace towards the threshold of the second famine.
The program confirmed that one in three children under the age of two in the northern Gaza Strip now suffers from acute malnutrition or wasting.
The report said that famine is imminent in the northern regions, and is expected to occur at any time between mid-March and May 2024.
He added, "All evidence points to a significant acceleration in deaths and malnutrition. Waiting for a retrospective famine classification before taking action is unacceptable."
The report stated that famine would occur based on the “most likely scenario” based on the assumptions that the conflict would escalate, including through a ground offensive in Rafah, and hostilities would continue to obstruct the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The statement stressed the need for a ceasefire so that the World Food Program and the humanitarian community can launch a massive relief operation.
Guterres warns
For his part, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described the food insecurity report in Gaza as a horrific condemnation of the conditions in which civilians live.
Guterres said that food insecurity in the Gaza Strip is the first evidence of the need for an immediate ceasefire on humanitarian grounds.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations called on the Israeli authorities to ensure full and unrestricted access for humanitarian goods to all parts of the Strip, and also called on the international community to provide full support for the humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
Guterres pointed out that the world's leading experts in the field of food insecurity clearly document that famine is imminent in the northern Gaza Strip, stressing, "We must act now to prevent what cannot be imagined, accepted, or justified in the Gaza Strip."
The European Union accused Israel on Monday of causing famine and using famine as a weapon of war.
The number of people at risk of catastrophic hunger in Gaza has almost doubled compared to the number announced last December when the previous report on Gaza was issued and there was already a record hunger rate.
Source: Al Jazeera + agencies