On video: The IDF attacked military buildings of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in Lebanon 26.02.24/doc
At least 576,000 people in the Gaza Strip, about a quarter of the population, are on the brink of starvation - this is how a senior member of the United Nations aid organization warned the Security Council last night (Tuesday), adding that without urgent action, it will be almost impossible to prevent the spread of hunger
. It will be possible to do very little as long as the hostilities continue and while there is a risk that they will spread to the densely populated areas of southern Gaza.
That's why we repeat our call for a ceasefire," said Ramesh Rajasingham, Director of Coordination of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
According to him, one in six children under the age of two in the northern Gaza Strip suffers from acute malnutrition, and almost all of the 2.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip rely on "horribly limited" food aid to survive.
Rajasingham said the UN and aid organizations face "enormous obstacles just to get minimal supplies into Gaza." He said these include closing crossings, restrictions on movement and communication, burdensome vetting procedures, riots, damaged roads and dropped munitions. Israel's deputy ambassador
Bau Jonathan Miller said in the discussion that Israel is committed to improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
He added that the limits on the amount and rate of aid depend on the capacity of the UN and other agencies. "Israel was clear in its policy.
There is no limit, and I repeat, there is no limit to the amount of humanitarian aid that can be sent to the civilian population in Gaza," Miller told the Security Council. The
US Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, Robert Wood, said that Washington is urging Israel to keep the border crossings open for humanitarian aid shipments and open more passages.
"Simply put, Israel must do more," he said.
"We continue to call on Israel to improve friction prevention procedures to ensure that aid can move safely and securely."
Displaced people stand in line for food distribution in Rafah, yesterday/Reuters
The war in Gaza began with Hamas's surprise attack on Israel on October 7, in which approximately 1,200 people were murdered and 253 hostages were taken.
In response, Israel launched an extensive war in Gaza, and according to the Ministry of Health, which is controlled by Hamas, nearly 30,000 people were killed.
The ministry does not specify how many of the dead are members of Hamas and other terrorist organizations.
The deputy director general of the World Food Program, Karl Skow, said that his organization "is ready to rapidly expand our activities if there is a cease-fire agreement." However, he emphasized, "the danger of starvation increases due to the inability to bring essential supplies of food into Gaza in sufficient quantities, and the conditions "
Starvation
as a method of warfare is illegal and Guyana condemns those who deliberately use it as a tool against the population in Gaza," said the Ambassador of Guyana, Carolyn Rodríguez-Birkett.
The Ambassador of Algeria, Ammar Benjama , said that Israel's campaign in Gaza "is a collective punishment against the Palestinian people." According to him, "our silence gives us a license to kill and starve the Palestinian population."
More on the same topic:
Gaza war
The United Nations