This Monday, March 18, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned about the risk of famine in the Gaza Strip and the situation of “imminent” famine in the north of the enclave. Both the United Nations and the international community have asked Israel to cease the offensive and a ceasefire to avoid a larger humanitarian catastrophe in the Palestinian territory.
Famine in northern Gaza – where nearly 300,000 people have been trapped by the fighting – is “imminent.” This is the conclusion of the UN food agency, which this Monday, March 18, published a report on the matter.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) maintains that 70% of people in northern Gaza face the most critical levels of food shortages and risk of famine, well above the 20% famine threshold. . Half the population or about 1.1 million people experience “catastrophic” food insecurity, according to the monitor.
Furthermore, there is a very high probability that this situation will spread throughout the Strip around July. And, with no ceasefire in sight and with Israel's incursion into Gaza imminent, the agency estimates that mass death amid this food insecurity situation is also a reality for the enclave.
“This is an entirely man-made disaster, and the report makes clear that it can be stopped,” António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, told reporters in New York.
For the organization, the solution is one: a ceasefire that allows humanitarian aid to enter Gaza in complete safety. For this reason, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and The World Food Program (WFP) has urged this Monday that immediate access be allowed to the Gaza Strip and a ceasefire.
“The actions necessary to prevent famine require an immediate political decision for a ceasefire, along with a significant and immediate increase in humanitarian and commercial access to the entire population of Gaza (…) Every effort must be made to guarantee the supply of food, water, medicine and the protection of civilians, as well as to restore and provide health, water, sanitation and energy services,” says the report.
Their conclusion is equally clear: if measures are not taken in this regard – the aforementioned cessation of hostilities and access to provide humanitarian aid – the situation in the enclave will only worsen.
International reactions to the famine in Gaza
Pressure on Israel from the international community, including its partners, is increasing. Even the United States, Israel's historical ally, asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “act with prudence” and allow humanitarian aid to enter the Strip.
“President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the latest developments in Israel and Gaza, including the situation in Rafah and efforts to increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza,” the White House said March 18. it's a statement.
But Israel has already made it clear that it does not intend to give in and that, to “end every last member of Hamas,” it will proceed with its incursion into Rafah, an area in the south of the enclave, bordering Egypt and where nearly 1.5 million Displaced Gazans have sought refuge from deadly Israeli attacks.
“No international pressure will prevent us from achieving all the objectives of our war (…) in Rafah, it will take a few weeks, but it will happen,” Netanyahu said on March 17.
But the data indicates that, in the enclave, where nearly 1.5 million people take refuge, the majority are civilians. A fact that the international community also denounces.
This Monday, after the UN announcement, the European Union accused Israel of causing famine and using it as a weapon to gain advantage in this conflict.
“Gaza is facing famine. According to the CPI report, 100% of the people are acutely food insecure; in the north, 70% are facing famine. Hunger cannot be used as a weapon of war,” he said Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU, on social networks.
Gaza is facing famine. According to @theIPCinfo, 100% of people are acutely food unsafe; in the North, 70% are facing famine. Hunger can't be used as a weapon of war.
W/ @JanezLenarcicwe urge Israel to allow free, unimpeded, safe humanitarian access.https://t.co/1DAMzG5G3t
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) March 18, 2024
Currently, the United States and other nations have launched airdrops of food and also maritime delivery. But the United Nations warns that it is not enough. The World Food Program report argues that airdrops represent a “negligible share” of aid compared to what arrives by truck over land.
For its part, Israel assures that it gives free access to humanitarian aid and that the lack of food is due to poor distribution. A statement that experts do not share.
“Israel has received many warnings. Warnings to stop destroying the infrastructure of the enclave and facilitating the passage of humanitarian aid. By not changing course, it is guilty of all these deaths,” says Alex de Waal, executive director of the Foundation for World Peace from Tufts University and an expert on global famines, to the AP agency.
Poor future prospects
Earlier this month alone, at least 20 people – mostly children – died from malnutrition and dehydration in the north of the enclave, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
“This is the largest number of people facing imminent famine in the world today and it has only taken five months for it to happen,” Matthew Hollingworth, acting director of the World Food Program for the Palestinian territories, told the AP agency. .
And health authorities suspect that the situation is even worse, but that it is not reflected by the difficulty in collecting data in the territory.
“It is impossible to find data that meets the criteria in northern Gaza, as people do not die in hospital, so it is not recorded,” an aid worker told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Worldwide, famine has only been declared twice in the last 13 years: in parts of Somalia in 2011 and in parts of South Sudan in 2017. Now, the Gaza Strip is on track to become the third of the list.
The CPI also points out that, due to the lack of humanitarian aid, almost all families are skipping meals every day and adults are reducing their meals so that children can eat.
Amid these famine warnings, this Monday Israel is carrying out a raid on the Al Shifa hospital – where an estimated 30,000 people are taking refuge – in Gaza City. An attack that threatens the displacement of even more civilians within the enclave, while negotiations to reach a ceasefire – mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar – show no signs of progress.
With AP, Reuters and local media
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