The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, warned yesterday, Saturday, of the possibility of a famine in the northern Gaza Strip, which has been witnessing an Israeli siege and ethnic cleansing since October 5, while Israel rejected the warning of a famine.

Lazzarini expressed regret that the possibility of famine "is not surprising," noting that Israel has used hunger as a weapon, depriving people in Gaza of basics, including food to survive.

He pointed out that the aid entering the Gaza Strip is not sufficient, and is an average of just over 30 trucks per day, representing only about 6% of the daily needs of the Palestinians.

Lazzarini called for urgent steps, including political will to increase the flow of humanitarian and commercial supplies into Gaza, and political decisions to allow convoys to enter northern Gaza regularly and without interruption, calling for political will to address and eliminate the hunger crisis because "it is not too late."

International warning

And the day before yesterday, Friday, a report by the Famine Review Committee of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (a team of leading independent international experts in the field of food security and nutrition) warned of a strong possibility of imminent famine in areas in northern Gaza, while the Israeli occupation continues its annihilation of the northern Gaza Strip.

The report stressed that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is extremely dangerous and is deteriorating rapidly, calling for urgent action in the coming days, "not weeks."

The occupation authorities rejected the international report, saying, "Researchers continue to rely on partial and biased data and superficial sources with special interests," according to its description.

American concern

Asked about the Famine Review Board's warning, a State Department spokesman said Washington was concerned about the limited amount of aid reaching civilians in Gaza, and that the report highlighted the seriousness of the situation.

"We have made clear to Israel and will continue to make clear that it must do more to facilitate the entry and delivery of aid into Gaza," he added.

In the past weeks, a real crisis has begun to loom in the central and southern Gaza Strip as well, due to the depletion of flour and basic materials in the markets and homes of Palestinians, forcing them to use spoiled flour to feed their families, and to search for unhealthy alternatives.

The residents of Gaza, and the north in particular, are suffering from hunger due to the scarcity of food, water, medicine and fuel, as a result of the siege imposed by Israel on the two governorates since the start of its ground operation on October 27, 2023, which has caused the death of a number of children and the elderly.

The Palestinians believe that Israel wants to occupy the northern Gaza Strip and turn it into a buffer zone after displacing its residents, under the pressure of continuous bloody bombing and a tight siege that prevents the entry of food, water and medicine.