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There remains a high risk of famine in Gaza, and the situation “remains catastrophic” as the war between Israel and Hamas continues, according to a report released Tuesday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
Nearly half a million people are expected to face catastrophic levels of hunger, the most severe level on the IPC scale, with people experiencing “severe food shortages, starvation, and exhausted coping capacities,” according to the report.
The report predicts that 96% of Gaza’s population – more than two million people – will face a crisis, emergency, or catastrophic levels of food insecurity until at least the end of September.
He added, “The risk of famine remains throughout the Gaza Strip as long as the conflict continues and humanitarian access is restricted.” a report He said. “Only a cessation of hostilities coupled with sustained humanitarian access to the entire Gaza Strip can reduce the risk of famine in the Gaza Strip.”
He added: “The past few months have shown that access to food and humanitarian aid and the spread of malnutrition can change very quickly, that the risk of epidemics is increasing, and that eight months of intense pressure on the lives of populations makes them more vulnerable to collapsing into famine.” Report prepared by the IPC Famine Review Committee.
“Given the unpredictability of the ongoing conflict and the challenges to humanitarian access, any significant change could lead to a very rapid decline into famine,” the report said.
The report’s findings reflect testimonies from those on the ground about the dire humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Nearly nine months into Israeli bombing and siege It has exhausted the healthcare system, destroyed water infrastructure, and created miserable conditions for the entire population of more than 2.2 million people.
Increasing Israeli attacks on the southern city of Rafah have led to mass displacement and outbreaks of infectious diseases in sprawling tent camps where people do not have access to basic sanitation services. With no marks An imminent ceasefire After agreeing to stop fighting, aid workers say the suffering of civilians on the ground will get worse.
“The latest data indicate that, in order to be able to buy food, more than half of families had to exchange their clothes for money, and a third of them resorted to collecting rubbish to sell it.” “Private shot.” “More than half also reported that they often don’t have any food to eat at home, and more than 20 percent go entire days and nights without eating.”
The report acknowledged some improvement in the situation in northern Gaza, where the International Committee for Food Security warned in March that famine was imminent. Tuesday’s report assessed that, due to increased food deliveries in March and April, “available evidence does not indicate that famine is currently occurring” in the north. However, it noted that the possibility remains present throughout the entire Gaza Strip.
The report said that although there was some improvement in southern Gaza at that time, the situation deteriorated with the start of Israeli military operations in Rafah. The Rafah crossing – a major crossing for humanitarian aid into Gaza – has been closed since early May, with only a few other land crossings remaining open. Humanitarian aid workers continue to face enormous risks as they attempt to distribute much-needed aid in Gaza. The majority of the infrastructure needed to support humanitarian work in Gaza was destroyed during Israel’s war against Hamas.
“The humanitarian space in the Gaza Strip continues to shrink, and the ability to safely provide aid to the population is diminishing,” the special report stated. “The recent trajectory is negative and highly unstable. If this continues, the improvements we saw in April could quickly be reversed.
The report also encourages “all stakeholders who use the International Famine Classification to make high-level decisions to understand that confirming the famine classification or not in no way changes the fact that severe human suffering is undoubtedly continuing currently in Gaza.” “strips.”
The report continued: “It does not change the immediate humanitarian imperative to address civilian suffering by enabling full, safe, unimpeded and sustainable humanitarian access to and throughout the Gaza Strip, including through a cessation of hostilities.”
The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has repeatedly called on Netanyahu’s government to make more efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. US President Joe Biden warned in early April that Israel must take immediate concrete steps or risk changing US policy. To date, there have been no such policy changes.
“The IPC report… clearly confirmed what we all know and have been dealing with for some time, which is that the humanitarian situation on the ground is very serious. That’s why we’ve been incredibly focused on alleviating that situation,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Tuesday. .
He added: “It is clear that we cannot wait for a ceasefire, even as we are trying to reach it, and we need to make more efforts to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground.” “And that is what we are trying to do… by working to resolve these issues between the government of Israel, the Israeli security forces and the UN humanitarian agencies.”
Meanwhile, humanitarian workers warn that the situation in Gaza is untenable.
“In the north, when we sounded the famine alert, we were able to get more trucks in. So it’s better now. It’s not great – I don’t want to give false illusions here that this is all great,” said WFP Director Cindy McCain. Because it’s not.” “There’s still a huge need in the north, and it’s complicated. It’s complicated for that reason. It’s not just the food they need. They need water, sanitation, and health care. “All of these things contribute to famine.”
“I think we will very quickly return to the trajectory that we were seeing in the north,” a humanitarian official told CNN. “The scale will be much larger because there were 300,000 people in northern Gaza. It’s between 1.5 million and 1.8 million people now in the central-southern areas living In a similar boat.
Kate Phillips Barrasso, of Mercy Corps, added: “Residents cannot bear these hardships any longer. The toll of military action has been too high, and we fear that unless there are radical changes in the provision of humanitarian aid, the death toll will rise as people succumb to months of deprivation.
“The humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating, and the specter of famine still looms over Gaza,” Phillips Barrasso told CNN. Although some aid has entered, glaring contradictions remain. Commercial trucks are allowed to pass, but humanitarian aid is limited, subject to screening at the border, and when allowed to cross, usually only reaches some city centers without proper security measures.
“The suffering is compounded by oppressive summer heat, lack of access to clean water, and increased exposure to garbage and sewage. “This deadly equation will undoubtedly lead to severe suffering and deaths,” she added.
On Friday, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, urged “the uninterrupted, regular, coordinated and purposeful flow of humanitarian aid.”
This story has been updated.
CNN’s Sana Noor Haq contributed to this report.
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