The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a dire warning about the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, stating that Israel blocking food aid access to the northern part of the territory poses a high risk of famine.
Israel has blocked humanitarian access to and within Gaza for the past year, crippling aid operations. The main crossings into northern Gaza have also been closed since October 1, 2024, preventing the entry of essential supplies, including food aid, WFP said in a statement.
As a result, over a million are being forced to fight disease, hunger and death with no aid. The closure of the main crossings, coupled with airstrikes, military ground operations and evacuation orders, has forced food distribution points, kitchens and bakeries in the region to shut down, the WFP said.
“The north is basically cut off and we’re not able to operate there,” said Antoine Renard, WFP country director for Palestine, in a statement. “Without safe and sustained access, it is virtually impossible to reach the people in need.”
The situation in northern Gaza is worsening rapidly, with aid levels at their lowest in months and commercial goods barely arriving. This month, WFP has managed to deliver only four per cent of the food required to support one million people in Gaza. Consequently, none of the usual WFP food parcels — containing essentials like pasta, rice, oil and canned meat — have been distributed. These parcels are a vital lifeline for many families in the region.
The situation in southern and central Gaza is also deteriorating due to insecurity surrounding the crossing points. Food distributions have been halted and bakeries are struggling to secure wheat flour, threatening their operations. Bread continues to be the primary staple food for Palestinians and has become an essential necessity since the war began slightly more than a year ago, according to a recent report by news channel CNN.
If we cannot get more aid into and across Gaza, we won’t be able to deliver food parcels to more than a million Palestinians in Gaza. People have run out of ways to cope, food systems have collapsed and the risk of famine is real.Antoine Renard, WFP country director for Palestine
With winter approaching, Gazans are facing severe shortages of shelter, fuel and aid. WFP has urgently called for safe and sustained access to deliver life-saving food assistance to Gaza. This requires more open crossing points and security for WFP staff and partners working to reach those in need.
A recent press release from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, over 41,600 Palestinians have reportedly been killed, including many women and children, with 96,600 more injured. Thousands are missing, believed to be trapped under rubble. Nearly the entire population of Gaza has been displaced, many multiple times, with no safe refuge available.
Thousands of Palestinians are arbitrarily detained, reportedly subjected to torture and other inhumane treatment, with no information on their whereabouts, the OCHA stated. Civilians face extreme deprivation, with little to no access to healthcare, food, electricity or humanitarian aid. Children have missed an entire year of education, as schools sheltering displaced families have been repeatedly shelled. Health workers and hospitals have been systematically attacked, while aid convoys have been blocked or even targeted.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces’ use of lethal force, coupled with widespread settler violence and house demolitions, has resulted in a sharp increase in fatalities, widespread destruction and forced displacement, the OCHA statement underlined.