12/6/2024–|Last updated: 6/12/202410:17 PM (Mecca time)
Officials from international institutions sounded the alarm due to the catastrophic humanitarian situation that the Palestinians are experiencing in the Gaza Strip, warning of the danger of famine and deadly diseases that threaten people’s lives.
Martin Griffiths, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, predicted on Wednesday that half of the population of the Gaza Strip will face death and famine by mid-July.
“The conflicts in Sudan and Gaza are spiraling out of control, and the war is pushing millions of people to the brink of famine,” Griffiths said in a statement.
He pointed out that “technical matters are what prevent the declaration of famines (in Gaza and Sudan), as people are already dying of hunger” in those areas.
He added, “In Gaza, half of the population, more than a million people, are expected to face death and famine by mid-July.”
‘Famine-like conditions’
In turn, Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Wednesday that many residents of Gaza face a “catastrophic level of hunger and famine-like conditions.”
He added, “Reports indicate an increase in food deliveries, but there is currently no evidence that people in dire need are receiving the appropriate quantity and quality of food.”
Ghebreyesus said that more than 8,000 children under the age of five have been diagnosed and treated for acute malnutrition, including 1,600 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
He added, “But due to insecurity and lack of access, only two centers can be operated for patients suffering from acute malnutrition. Our inability to provide health services safely, with a lack of clean water and sanitation, greatly exacerbates the chances of children suffering from malnutrition.”
Hamas condemns
For its part, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Wednesday condemned the “starvation policy” used by the Israeli occupation, and called on Arab and Islamic countries to pressure to open the crossings and bring in aid.
The movement said in a statement: “The starvation policy is an extension of the crime of genocide, and Arab and Islamic countries must put pressure to open the crossings and bring in aid.”
The statement said, “The criminal occupation’s use of starvation as a weapon during this fascist aggression is a described war crime, and confirmation of its continuation of the crime of genocide against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, with bombing, massacres, and starvation, in full view of the entire world, in flagrant violation of all international laws.”
Since last October 7, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza that has left about 122,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing.
Israel continues its war on Gaza, despite two Security Council resolutions to stop the fighting immediately, and orders from the International Court of Justice to end the invasion of Rafah (south), and to take measures to prevent acts of genocide and improve the dire humanitarian situation in the Strip.
