GAZA – On Monday, the UN
published a food security assessment that warns that half of Gaza's population
is currently grappling with "catastrophic" hunger, with the northern
region facing the imminent threat of famine.
اضافة اعلان
Beth Bechdol, the Deputy Director-General
at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), described the unprecedented
nature of the crisis, emphasizing that 50 percent of the entire population
being at catastrophic levels of food insecurity is alarming and unprecedented,
Al-Mamlaka TV reported.
Approximately 1.1 million
Palestinians are reportedly experiencing "catastrophic food
insecurity" as a result of the Israeli war on Gaza, according to the
Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report.
The classification system,
utilized by the UN and relief agencies, assesses famine levels on a scale from
one to five and is crucial in determining whether to declare a famine.
The situation in northern
Gaza is particularly dire, and relief agencies are having difficulty accessing
the area for food distribution and other essential aid.
According to the report,
famine is on the brink of striking the northern regions, with predictions
indicating that it could occur anytime between mid-March and May 2024. The
report underscores the situation's urgency: "Waiting for a retroactive
famine classification before taking action is unacceptable."
While donor countries have
resorted to delivering aid via air or sea, UN agencies stress that neither
method adequately replaces ground delivery of humanitarian assistance.
The report outlines that
famine is likely to occur based on the "most likely scenario," taking
into account assumptions that the war will escalate, potentially including a
ground attack in Rafah. Ongoing hostilities continue to impede the delivery of
much-needed humanitarian aid.
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