Families
go days without eating, and desperate children risk their lives traversing
rubble-filled streets looking for any pieces of food they may find, only to
return empty-handed. Emaciated, vulnerable newborn infants are dying from
starvation and disease. Almost everyone skips meals, and many go hungry so
children can eat whatever they find.
اضافة اعلان
Today,
this is Gaza, where over 2.2 million people are experiencing the world's worst
current hunger crisis. Children's and families' lives are on the line, and
every minute counts.
Famine
in Gaza is spreading swiftly; the threat is genuine, and the repercussions will
be catastrophic—a wholly man-made calamity caused by Israel's continued attacks
and siege of the territory. The Israeli war on Gaza has displaced farmers,
destroyed agricultural assets and food stores, disrupted markets, increased
prices, and harmed livelihoods. After being on the verge of disaster for years,
the Israeli invasion pushed Gaza over the edge.
“Famine in Gaza is spreading swiftly; the threat is genuine, and the repercussions will be catastrophic—a wholly man-made calamity caused by Israel's continued attacks and siege of the territory.”
The
growing humanitarian crisis began before October 7, when approximately
two-thirds of Gazan households were already food insecure, with over 124,500
small children living in food poverty. According to UN statistics, the
population's unemployment rate of 45 percent was one of the highest in the
world, and 80 percent of the territory's inhabitants relied on international
help.
Israel
has a long history of isolating the Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to
repeated closures over the last two decades. Still, the strict blockade
enforced following Hamas' victory in the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council
election was unprecedented. Israel designated Gaza a closed region and imposed
sanctions on the Strip, including limitations on fuel and other goods imports,
as well as the movement of persons out and into Gaza. Furthermore, over time,
the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) tried to expand and intensify the isolation
of the Gaza Strip by dividing it from the West Bank. Although Israel
'disengaged' from the Gaza Strip in 2005, it still controls land, sea, and air
access to and from Gaza. Similarly, it manages Gaza's demographic register,
telecommunications networks, and a variety of other facets of daily life and
infrastructure.
As
the occupying power, rather than carrying out its duty to protect the civilian
population in the Gaza Strip, Israel has imposed a suffocating blockade on
Palestinians, constituting an unprecedented form of collective punishment in
clear violation of international humanitarian law.
“Although Israel 'disengaged' from the Gaza Strip in 2005, it still controls land, sea, and air access to and from Gaza.”
The
most recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) assessment,
released in December, confirmed that Gaza's entire population of around 2.2
million is experiencing crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity.
According to the IPC report, 26 percent of Gazans (576,600 individuals) have
exhausted their food resources and coping capacities, putting them at risk of
catastrophic hunger (IPC Phase 5) and famine.
Gazans
have used all their resources, their livelihoods have collapsed, bakeries have
been demolished, shops are vacant, and families cannot obtain food. Almost
everyone is affected: very young children are getting malnourished, pregnant
women are living in deplorable conditions in overcrowded shelters where they
cannot receive food or water, and infections are spreading. On days when relief
trucks arrive at the enormous camps that have emerged in southern Gaza,
children may be seen jostling within crowds, buckets and pans in hand, pleading
for food. Young men scaled the trucks, feverishly scrambling for flour bags as
high-energy biscuits were thrown into the crowd.
Despite
challenging conditions, the UN, international aid agencies, and
non-governmental organizations have provided limited humanitarian assistance in
Gaza. However, the amounts provided fall far short of what is required to
prevent a deadly combination of hunger, malnutrition, and disease.
“On days when relief trucks arrive at the enormous camps that have emerged in southern Gaza, children may be seen jostling within crowds, buckets and pans in hand, pleading for food.”
"People
in Gaza risk dying of hunger just miles from trucks filled with food,"
said World Food Program (WFP) Executive Director Cindy McCain. "Every hour
lost endangers many lives. We can prevent hunger only if we can distribute
adequate supplies and ensure safe access to everyone in need, no matter where
they are.”
The
continued violent IOF attacks in Gaza, especially on aid workers, aid trucks,
and civilian infrastructure, have severely limited humanitarian agencies'
capacity to serve those in need. Since the invasion of Gaza, Israel has
purposefully denied residents food and other relief, in violation of
international law.
Despite
repeated announcements, there has been no change in the quantity of supplies
delivered to desperate residents, particularly in the south, and Israel
continues to entirely prohibit crucial commercial products from entering Gaza.
On
the other side, without commercial supply, Gaza's marketplaces are nearly
empty, and the price of the limited food available has risen beyond the grasp
of most of the population.
“Furthermore, the bombing has damaged the majority of Gaza's lush farmlands and disrupted nearly all agricultural, animal, and fishing activity.”
Furthermore,
the bombing has damaged the majority of Gaza's lush farmlands and disrupted
nearly all agricultural, animal, and fishing activity. Most bakeries have been
attacked, and those that remain cannot work due to a lack of wheat and fuel.
In
addition to a scarcity of food, Israel's bombing has decimated Gaza's health,
water, and sanitation facilities, and the risk of disease is rapidly
increasing.
This
is the new reality of life in Gaza, where debilitating food insecurity is
driving hundreds of people to starvation.
According
to the UN, the entire 2.3 million Gazan population is currently experiencing
'food insecurity,' which is defined as unreliable access to sufficient and
nutritious food to meet basic needs. At least half a million individuals are
estimated to be living in 'catastrophic conditions,' the most severe level of
acute food insecurity, in which they face "extreme food gaps and the
collapse of their livelihood."
There
is an urgent need to remove the hurdles and restrictions on humanitarian
distribution to and inside Gaza and let commercial movement restart. This
crisis has erupted with unprecedented complexity, magnitude, and speed.
Humanitarian access is now required to let supplies flow into and throughout
Gaza, as well as civilians to receive life-saving relief safely. It is about
putting prevention first and proactively managing risks.
There
is a moral obligation to redouble international efforts to prevent, minimize,
and ultimately end the war while reducing its consequences.
Najla M. Shahwan is a Palestinian
author, researcher, and freelance journalist. She has published thirteen books
and a children's story collection. She also received two prizes from the
Palestinian Union of Writers.
Disclaimer:
Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Jordan News' point of view.
Read more Opinion and Analysis
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
