UNITED NATIONS: The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has issued a dire warning about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, describing it as “unprecedented” and verging on “near famine-like conditions” amidst ongoing deadly Israeli attacks on the enclave.
Approximately 550,000 individuals are now at risk of facing catastrophic food insecurity, while the entire population of Gaza is grappling with crisis-level circumstances, as reported by the UN agency.
FAO’s Deputy Director General, Beth Bechdol, underscored that all 2.2 million residents of Gaza are currently classified within the top three hunger categories of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), ranging from level three, considered an emergency, to level five, which denotes a catastrophe. She emphasised the alarming trend of more individuals falling into famine-like conditions daily. Bechdol highlighted that approximately 25 percent of Gaza’s population is now categorised under IPC level five, indicating the most severe level of food insecurity.
The recent outbreak of conflict on October 7th has resulted in unprecedented violence, with Rafah, situated on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, serving as a precarious refuge for fleeing civilians. Many find themselves sheltering outdoors in makeshift tents amid mounting concerns over dwindling food, water, and sanitation resources due to the Israeli siege. Before the conflict erupted, Gaza boasted a self-sustaining fruit and vegetable production sector, including greenhouses, along with a thriving backyard small-scale livestock industry, Bechdol noted.
However, amidst the ongoing hostilities, the toll on Gaza’s population remains incalculable, with no official estimates of hunger-related deaths. The Gaza Health Ministry records only fatalities resulting from Israeli attacks, which have claimed over 28,000 lives, including many women and children, since the onset of the conflict.
The overwhelming displacement of Gaza’s populace, coupled with the decimation of its medical infrastructure, has led to countless deaths going unreported and uncounted.
