The United Nations agencies on Wednesday warned that over 1 million Palestinians in Gaza could experience the highest level of starvation by the middle of July if the hostile situation in the region continues.
Hunger is worsening due to the heavy limitations on humanitarian access and the collapse of local food system, said the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organisation in a joint report.
The situation in northern Gaza remains dire as it has been surrounded by Israeli troops for months now.
Recently, Israel opened land crossings in the north, but they are only able to facilitate truck loads in dozens quantity each day for hundreds of thousands of people there.
Israel's presence in Rafah has caused disruptions in aid operations several times in southern Gaza. Egypt also refused to reopen its side of the Rafah crossing until control of the Gaza side is handed back to Palestinians.
Egypt however agreed to temporarily divert through Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing, Gaza's main cargo terminal, after a call between US President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
Though Israel allowed the entry of several aid trucks via Kerem Shalom, the UN has said it is often not able to retrieve the aid because of the security situation.
Distribution within Gaza is severely hampered by the ongoing fighting, the law and order breakdown and other Israeli restrictions, the UN said.
The world authority on determining the extent of hunger crisis, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, said that around 6,77,000 people in Gaza were experiencing Phase 5 hunger in March, the highest level and the equivalent of famine.
The two UN agencies in their report said that this figure could climb up to 1 million, which is half of Gaza's 2.3 million population, by mid-July.
“In the absence of a cessation of hostilities and increased access, the impact on mortality and the lives of the Palestinians now, and in future generations, will increase markedly with every day, even if famine is avoided in the near term," the report said.
An experts' group known as the Famine Early Warning Systems Network -- FEWS NET -- had said that if not likely, it is "possible" that famine is underway in northern Gaza, however Israeli restrictions make it difficult to collect to data that would prove the same.
An area is considered to be in famine under three conditions:
Twenty percent of households have extreme lack of food, essentially starving.
At least 30 per cent of children suffer from acute malnutrition or wasting, as in too thin for their height.
Two adults or four children per every 10,000 people are dying everyday due to hunger and related complications.
The Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7, 2023 after the Palestinian militant group launched a terror attack in southern Israel, killing around 1,140 people and taking around 250 as hostages. Following the Hamas attack, Israel launched a complete siege of Gaza and has carried out relentless bombardment of the strip, killing over 35,000 Palestinians.
(With AP inputs)
