UN Relief Chief Warns of Impending Famine in Gaza, as Food Insecurity Reaches Unprecedented Levels
Gaza's dire situation reaches a breaking point as food insecurity soars to alarming levels, warns UN relief chief With thousands of lives lost, medical facilities attacked, and hospitals struggling to function, Gaza has turned into a devastating realm of despair and death
UN emergency relief chief Martin Griffiths warns that famine is imminent in Gaza, as its people are currently experiencing the highest levels of food insecurity ever documented. With tens of thousands of deaths, assaults on medical facilities, and a shortage of functioning hospitals, Griffiths stated that Gaza has become a place of hopelessness and death.
"He added that hope has never felt so out of reach. A public health crisis is worsening as crowded shelters become breeding grounds for infectious diseases and sewage overflows," Griffiths said. He added that approximately 180 Palestinian women "are delivering babies every day in the midst of this turmoil."
"Gaza has become unlivable, with its inhabitants facing constant threats to their lives as the world looks on," Griffiths stated, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The Hamas-run Ministry of Health reports that tens of thousands of Palestinians have died since Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza, and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) notes that up to 1.9 million people have been displaced. The war was initiated by Israel in response to Hamas' violent actions on October 7, resulting in the deaths of around 1,200 people and the capture of over 200 hostages.
Griffiths, the UN's Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, stated that rocket attacks on Israel persist, with over 120 people still being held hostage in Gaza, tensions in the West Bank escalating, and the threat of further regional spillover of the war dangerously close.
UNICEF has warned that young children are facing increased risks of severe malnutrition as famine conditions worsen. Survivors in the southern city of Rafah told CNN that basic necessities such as fruits and vegetables have become unaffordable.
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Griffiths emphasized the importance of parties meeting their obligations under international law, including the protection of civilians, meeting essential needs, and immediately releasing all hostages. He called on the international community to use its influence to ensure these actions take place.
He further demanded an immediate end to the war, not only for the current population of Gaza and its neighboring areas, but also for future generations who will remember the 90 days of suffering and attacks on basic principles of humanity.
"This war should never have started," Griffiths said. "Its long past time for it to end."
