Gaza Now the ‘Hungriest Place on Earth’, UN Warns as Entire Population Faces Famine
The United Nations has issued a stark warning that Gaza has become “the hungriest place on Earth,” with its entire population now at risk of famine.
Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), made the alarming declaration on Friday, stating, “Gaza is the only defined area – a country or defined territory within a country – where you have the entire population at risk of famine. One hundred per cent of the population at risk of famine.”
Laerke also highlighted the severe logistical challenges the UN faces in delivering aid to the war-ravaged enclave.
Despite Israel authorizing 900 aid trucks since the partial lifting of the blockade, only 600 have successfully crossed into Gaza, and even fewer have been distributed due to ongoing security concerns. “We are in an operational straitjacket that makes it one of the most obstructed aid operations not only in the world today, but in recent history,” he added.
Aid deliveries are further hampered by chaos once inside Gaza, as desperate civilians swarm trucks. The humanitarian crisis deepened further when armed individuals looted a UN warehouse in Deir al-Balah, stealing vital medical supplies meant for malnourished children.
As famine looms, tensions continue to rise over the escalating humanitarian catastrophe.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 54,321 Palestinians and wounded 123,770, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The Government Media Office updated its death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead.
On the Israeli side, an estimated 1,139 people were killed during the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.
