This desperate situation comes amidst ongoing israeli attacks and a tightening of the Israeli blockade, further restricting the flow of essential aid and supplies.

According to UNRWA, Israel has blocked a staggering 51% of its attempts to deliver and assess humanitarian aid in northern Gaza since the beginning of 2024. This obstruction significantly hampers efforts to provide vital assistance to Palestinians struggling with food shortages, limited access to healthcare, and the destruction of essential infrastructure caused by Israeli airstrikes and ground offensives.

The UN agency paints a grim picture of the situation in northern Gaza, where food insecurity has reached alarming levels. With basic necessities scarce, Palestinians are resorting to desperate measures for survival, including grinding animal feed for consumption due to a lack of flour. This highlights the dire reality faced by many Gazans, pushing them to the brink of famine.

The ongoing Israeli offensive, launched in October 2023, has inflicted a heavy toll on the Palestinian population. Nearly 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, and 1.9 million have been displaced from their homes due to the attacks. This displacement further disrupts access to food, water, and medical care, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

The current situation echoes earlier warnings issued by the UN, raising concerns about a potential famine in Gaza. In December 2023, the UN warned that 2.2 million Palestinians in the besieged territory were at risk of famine. Moreover, nearly 1.3 million Gazans were classified as facing "catastrophe" or "emergency" hunger levels according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) scale.

UNRWA's statement urges the international community to take immediate action to address the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This includes pressuring Israel to ease its blockade, facilitate the unrestricted flow of essential aid, and end its military campaign against the Palestinian population. The international community must also work towards finding a sustainable solution to the israeli aggression on Gaza, ensuring the protection of Palestinian civilians and their fundamental human rights. (ILKHA)