United Nations Raises Alarm on Starvation Crisis in Gaza: Urgent Action Needed

A report by Ali al-Hajj, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine

 

A new and advanced position from the United Nations was recorded by the spokesperson of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding the issue of starvation in Gaza. According to the international organization, the extremely strict restrictions imposed by Israel on the entry of aid into the territory and the possibility of using starvation as a weapon may constitute a war crime.

This international stance comes based on an assessment issued by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which is considered a reference for the figures provided by the United Nations. The assessment confirms that full-scale famine could occur between mid-March and May if the war does not cease.

 

In terms of the study's figures, the northern Gaza Strip and Gaza City are primarily situated in Phase 5 of food insecurity, which is a designation for famine affecting seventy percent of the population. Meanwhile, central areas like Deir Al-Balah and Khan Yunis are approaching fifty percent, categorized as Phase 4, which is the severe stage before the last, and reaching forty-five percent in Rafah, also in Phase 4.

 

According to the figures until mid-March, 677,000 Gazans suffer from hunger, while 876,000 are in the severe stage. However, notably, starting from mid-March, the number of people in all pre-famine stages will decrease, pushing all of them into the more severe stages.

 

Perhaps the most significant indicator of Gaza's plight is the absence of any person in Gaza living in acceptable food security. If these figures are approximate for what is happening within the Gaza Strip due to hunger, what will the actual situation be if the world does not find a solution to Israel's blockade and war on Gaza in the near future?