GAZA CITY: Hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza face the threat of severe hunger and malnutrition as intensified military operations continue to obstruct food assistance, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Thursday.
In a statement, the WFP said it and its partners had been unable to bring fresh food supplies into Gaza for more than three weeks.
“WFP has approximately 5,700 tonnes of food stocks left in Gaza — enough to support WFP operations for a maximum of two weeks,” the UN agency said.
The crisis has been exacerbated by Israel’s renewed military offensive, which resumed just over a week ago following the collapse of a temporary ceasefire.
The UN has reported that 142,000 Palestinians have been displaced in the past week alone, worsening an already dire humanitarian situation.
“Hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza are again at risk of severe hunger and malnutrition as humanitarian food stocks in the Strip dwindle and borders remain closed to aid,” WFP warned, adding that the escalating violence is putting the lives of aid workers at risk.
Due to the worsening security conditions and widespread displacement, the WFP has announced plans to distribute food as swiftly as possible while reducing individual rations to reach more people.
“We will distribute food parcels to half a million people, with each package sustaining a family for roughly one week,” the statement said.
The humanitarian crisis has been deepened by Israel’s blockade on food, fuel, medical equipment, and other essential supplies.
Since 2 March, when the second phase of a ceasefire agreement was expected to take effect, Israel has prevented all food aid from entering Gaza.
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has warned that Gaza’s flour reserves could be completely depleted by the end of this week.
Human rights groups have long accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war. In December 2023, Human Rights Watch alleged that Israel was deliberately restricting aid deliveries.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, citing allegations that they “intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food.”
Meanwhile, the toll from ongoing Israeli strikes continues to rise. According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 25 Palestinians have been killed and 82 injured in the past 24 hours.
“A number of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, unable to be reached by ambulances and civil defence crews,” the ministry stated on Telegram.
Since the start of the war on 7 October 2023, at least 50,208 people—mostly civilians—have been killed in Gaza, with 113,910 others injured, according to health officials.
Israel launched its military campaign following Hamas’s attack, which left 1,218 people dead in Israel, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas during the attack, 58 remain in Gaza, including 34 whom the Israeli military believes are dead.
Humanitarian agencies are calling for immediate access to deliver food aid to prevent an impending famine.
“The expansion of military activity in Gaza is severely disrupting food assistance operations and putting the lives of aid workers at risk every day,” WFP warned.
