UN official warns 300,000 in northern Gaza near famine amid israeli siege

In a tweet on X, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA), sounded the alarm over the dire situation unfolding in northern Gaza. He revealed that the UN has identified severe hunger and starvation in the area, with at least 300,000 people teetering on the edge of famine and relying on UN assistance for survival.

Lazzarini highlighted the challenges faced by humanitarian agencies, noting that access to northern Gaza has been severely restricted. He emphasized that UNRWA's ability to deliver food aid to the region has been significantly hampered, with the last delivery north of Wadi Gaza occurring on January 23.

Furthermore, Lazzarini expressed frustration over the denial of aid mission requests to the north, with half of the requests being turned down since the beginning of the year. He stressed that preventing access to humanitarian aid jeopardizes lives and urged for political will to reverse the situation.

The warning from the UN official underscores the urgent need for international intervention to address the humanitarian crisis unfolding in northern Gaza. The Israeli siege has exacerbated conditions in the region, leaving hundreds of thousands of people at risk of famine and in desperate need of assistance. (ILKHA)