War between Israel and Hamas: Gaza Strip under threat of “imminent famine”

“Every day we are certainly moving towards an even more catastrophic situation,” Abir Etefa, a spokesman for the World Food Program (WFP), warned on Tuesday. According to her, food aid is difficult to deliver to the Gaza Strip due to fighting and obstacles created by the Israeli authorities.

Already in December, the UN agency reported a catastrophic situation for the 2.2 million people living in the Gaza Strip, who were at severe food shortage levels or worse. In a video conference from Cairo, she pointed to the “imminent threat of famine,” adding that “the risk of famine still exists in the Gaza Strip.” »

“More than half a million people in the Gaza Strip face catastrophic levels of food insecurity, and the risk of famine increases every day as the conflict limits the delivery of life-saving food aid to those who need it,” said Abir Etefa.

70% of requests are rejected

Israel went to war against Hamas after the Islamic movement’s unprecedented attacks on its territory killed 1,140 people on Oct. 7, according to an Agence France-Presse tally based on official Israeli data. Since then, Israel has relentlessly bombed the area and launched a ground offensive to “destroy” Hamas, killing at least 25,490 people in the Gaza Strip, including about 70% of women, children and teenagers, according to the Defense Ministry. from the Islamic movement.

According to Abir Etefa, about 70% of requests for food delivery to the northern Gaza Strip were rejected by Israeli authorities. The last two deliveries to the north, each containing 200 tons of food for 15,000 people, took place around mid-January. “This is actually a very small number,” the spokeswoman said. “That’s why we’re seeing people getting more desperate” because they don’t know if or when the trucks will be able to return. Since the beginning of January, more than 730 trucks carrying more than 13,000 tons of food have entered Gaza, according to WFP.