ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday sent its 19th humanitarian aid consignment to Gaza, delivering 100 tonnes of food and relief goods amid what the United Nations has described as a rapidly worsening famine.
The shipment, coordinated by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in partnership with the Alkhidmat Foundation, departed from Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport on a chartered flight.
Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, alongside NDMA and Alkhidmat representatives, attended the send-off ceremony, according to state-run APP.
The consignment included flour, ready-to-eat meals, cooking oil, jam and canned fruit, NDMA said in a statement.
The flight is routing via Egypt’s Al Arish before reaching Gaza. With this dispatch, Pakistan has now delivered 1,915 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza across 19 consignments since the conflict escalated in October 2023.
The NDMA said the relief mission was carried out under the directive of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“This effort reflects Pakistan’s commitment to stand with the people of Gaza in their time of need,” an NDMA spokesperson said.
Humanitarian crisis in Gaza
The aid comes as international agencies warn of unprecedented levels of hunger and malnutrition across Gaza.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported on Friday that about 514,000 people — nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population — are already facing famine. It marks the first time famine has been officially declared outside Africa.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said the famine designation is based on strict international criteria, including rising deaths from starvation and extreme malnutrition among children.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the situation as a “man-made disaster, a moral indictment, and a failure of humanity itself,” urging Israel to allow unrestricted access for humanitarian aid.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 62,622 Palestinians have been killed and 157,673 wounded in Israeli attacks since October 2023.
In the past 24 hours alone, hospital officials said 71 bodies and more than 300 injured had been received, including people killed while seeking aid, the health ministry said on Saturday.
Medical officials also warned of a severe nutrition crisis among children.
Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, told Al Jazeera that 320,000 children are suffering from severe malnutrition, adding that “all the wounded in hospitals are also suffering from hunger-related complications.”
At least eight people, including two children, reportedly died of malnutrition in the past 24 hours.
