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The UN World Food Programme yesterday called for immediate action to avert famine in the Gaza Strip, warning that the humanitarian crisis there could soon worsen amid what it said were severe restrictions on aid flows.
A global monitor warned this month that the whole of the Palestinian enclave remained at risk of famine, with Israeli military operations adding to concerns and hampering humanitarian access.
“Now, as the situation in northern Gaza continues to deteriorate, the likelihood of a larger group being impacted by famine will surely increase unless conditions on the ground improve,” said WFP, the United Nations’ food agency.
WFP said that it had approximately 94,000 tonnes of food standing by in Egypt and Jordan that could feed one million people for four months, but that could not bring it into Gaza because too few entry points were open and others were not safe enough.
Since Israel seized the Rafah crossing with Egypt in May – months after it began its offensive in Gaza following the Hamas-led attack on Israeli communities on October 7, 2023 – all routes into Gaza have been controlled by Israel.
“Restrictions on humanitarian aid coming into Gaza are severe,” WFP said, adding that only 5,000 tonnes had entered the Gaza Strip this month.
Other constraints that needed to be addressed to improve aid flows in Gaza include approval of trucks and truck drivers and delays at check points, it said.
UN agencies also said that Israel’s decision to ban the relief agency UNRWA could result in the deaths of more children and represent a form of collective punishment for Gazans if fully implemented.
A law passed by Israel on Monday to ban the UN Palestinian refugee agency from operating inside Israel has raised concerns about its ability to provide relief in Gaza after over a year of war. The agency, which employs thousands of people in Gaza, provides nearly the entire population of the coastal enclave with basic supplies and needs access through Israel.
“If UNRWA is unable to operate, it’ll likely see the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza,” said Unicef spokesperson James Elder, who has worked extensively in Gaza since the war began. “So a decision such as this suddenly means that a new way has been found to kill children.”
Other UN agencies described UNRWA’s work as indispensable. The World Health Organisation’s Tarik Jasarevic said that about a third of the healthcare workers helping with the ongoing polio vaccination campaign for children in Gaza work with UNRWA.
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