Three weeks ago, the World Food Program had already suspended its distributions after an Israeli strike against a UN truck.
This is an announcement whose consequences could be dramatic for part of the population in the Gaza Strip. The World Food Program has once again announced that it will suspend the distribution of aid in the north of the Palestinian enclave.
The cause is security problems in this area, prey, according to the organization, to “chaos and violence”.
This decision comes at a time when several UN agencies are warning of the risks of an increase in child deaths.
Hungry and traumatized by months of conflict, children in the Gaza Strip suffer, some of them, from acute malnutrition.
“Each time a family is displaced, they become more and more desperate. She loses a little more resilience. This is a factor to take into consideration, as there is concern about the risk of famine hanging over the Gaza Strip. We know we can’t reach everyone right now. It is impossible to reach the north“, explains Matthew Hollingworth, WFP Director for Palestine.
In hospitals that are still functioning, the situation is also chaotic. Like here, at the Nasser hospital, located in the south of the enclave, in Khan Younès.
A few days ago, the establishment was targeted by shell fire from the Israeli army. Since then, staff have been working in difficult conditions, often without electricity. Several patients had to be transferred to other hospitals.
“We can imagine the worst situation. And multiply it by ten. This is the worst situation I have seen in my life. Debris, light…working in the dark…patients everywhere“, explains Julio Martinez, in charge of WHO operational support in Gaza.
On the diplomatic level, the situation seems blocked. At the UN Security Council, 13 of the 15 member countries voted in favor of an immediate ceasefire. While the United Kingdom abstained, the United States voted against the resolution.
This is the third time, since October 7, that Washington has blocked a text in favor of a truce in the Gaza Strip.