Risk of famine remains throughout Gaza. More than 1.8 million Gazans suffer from hunger Peace and Security
More than 1.8 million Palestinians are facing “extreme” levels of hunger as a result of Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza, 70 percent of crops have been destroyed and local livelihoods have been undermined, according to a UN-backed report released Thursday.
The results of the study, conducted within the framework of the global IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) initiative, show that 133,000 people – or six percent of the enclave’s population – are already living in conditions of the fifth, “catastrophic” phase of food insecurity. There are fears that between November and April next year, this number could rise to 345,000 people, or 16 percent of the entire population of the Strip.
“The risk of famine remains throughout Gaza,” the report says. “Given the recent escalation of hostilities, there are growing concerns that events will develop according to a worst-case scenario.”
UN response
The UN Secretary-General is alarmed by the findings of the report. This was stated on Thursday by UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq at a briefing in New York.
“One year into the conflict, famine is looming and this is unacceptable,” he said, adding that the Secretary-General calls on Israel to immediately open all crossings into Gaza, remove bureaucratic obstacles and restore law and order in the Strip so that UN agencies can deliver vital humanitarian assistance.
Key Recommendations
The report stresses that the risk of rapid descent into mass starvation in the Strip can only be avoided by ensuring that Gazans have widespread access to food, medicine and clean water. The report’s authors call for an immediate, unconditional and sustainable ceasefire, the restoration of food systems, and the effective prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition. In addition, according to the authors of the document, programmes for comprehensive supplementary feeding, infant and young child feeding, including the promotion of breastfeeding and care for infants who are not breastfed, must be strengthened.
UN efforts in Gaza
UN agencies continue their efforts to provide assistance to the people of Gaza despite serious challenges, including insecurity, difficult access to a number of population centres, Israeli evacuation orders and ongoing fighting. Thus, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is prioritizing the resumption of food production in the sector and the restoration of the availability of highly nutritious foods, especially in the run-up to the winter season.
“To combat acute hunger and malnutrition, it is imperative to immediately stop hostilities and restore humanitarian access to deliver critical food aid and agricultural inputs for the upcoming winter crop planting season,” said Beth Behdol, FAO Assistant Director-General.
Humanitarian aid alone is not enough for Gaza, she said: people need fresh, nutritious food. To improve the situation, Behdol said, it is necessary to support local farmers so that they can resume food production and to establish supplies of imported food commodities.
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Livestock losses
FAO also expressed deep concern over the significant losses of livestock, which are essential for the basic survival of the population of Gaza.
The agency has developed a programme to preserve some 30,000 sheep and goats, which is about 40 percent of the remaining livestock. As of the end of September, FAO had distributed feed to more than 4,400 livestock keepers in Rafah, Khan Younis and Deir el-Bale, as well as veterinary kits to 2,400 herder families.
“Feeding livestock can ensure that all children in Gaza have enough milk,” FAO added.