United Nations, September 20 (RHC)-- The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has issued a serious warning about the severe food shortage in the Gaza Strip, which is grappling with a humanitarian disaster caused by a genocidal war.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said on Thursday on average, Palestinian people in the blockaded territory have one meal every other day.
According to UNRWA, around 83 percent of required food aid is being blocked from reaching two million displaced Palestinians amid Israel’s brutal onslaught. UNRWA also warned that the delivery of critical humanitarian supplies will be further complicated in winter due to damaged roads and war-ravaged infrastructure in Gaza.
Palestinian officials say 36 children have died of malnutrition since the Israeli genocide started, while the lives of 3,500 children are at risk due to the regime's systematic starvation policy.
Earlier, UNRWA said: "Sanitary conditions in #Gaza are worsening by the day. Insects and rodents can spread diseases, threatening people's health and well-being."
"UNRWA teams are working to help displaced families in shelters stop them from invading people's already crammed living spaces," it added. A recent analysis found that Israel's complete siege of the Gaza Strip is blocking the overwhelming majority of food assistance to the Palestinian territory.
The analysis by 15 international aid organizations, which was published on Monday, said that a record-low average of 69 aid trucks per day entered Gaza in August 2024, compared with an already insufficient 500 per working day last year.
“83% of required food aid does not make it into Gaza, up from 34% in 2023,” said the aid groups -- which include CARE International, Save the Children, ActionAid, Oxfam, and Islamic Relief. “This reduction means people in Gaza have gone from having an average of two meals a day to just one meal every other day.”
Israel waged its brutal U.S.-backed war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
However, nearly a year into the genocidal aggression, the Tel Aviv regime has failed to achieve its declared objectives of “destroying Hamas” and finding Israeli captives despite killing at least 41,272 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 95,497 others.
