UN official calls for urgent action regarding the famine in Gaza

An UN official has called for urgent action to address the outbreak of famine in the besieged Gaza Strip, noting that this is the first time famine has been confirmed in the Middle East. This came during a press conference by the Director of Food Security Analysis and Nutrition at the World Food Programme.

Jan Martin Bauer explained that famine means severe food deprivation and acute malnutrition, leading to deaths from hunger. He emphasized the importance of protecting data systems that will guide the necessary humanitarian responses.

On Friday, the Global Initiative for the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification declared a state of famine in the city of Gaza, expecting it to extend to the governorates of Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of September.

The occupying state quickly attacked the report, which relied on data and facts, claiming it was based on phone testimonies, reflecting its attempts to downplay the severity of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The Global Initiative for the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification includes 21 prominent organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme, and aims to analyze food security and nutrition situations.

Since March 2, the occupying state has evaded implementing an agreement with Hamas for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange, and has closed the Gaza crossings to aid trucks piled up at the border.

Despite the accumulation of aid trucks at the entrances to the Gaza Strip, the occupying state continues to prevent their entry or controls their distribution, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

Since October 7, 2023, the occupying state has been committing genocide in Gaza with American support, resulting in the deaths of more than 62,000 Palestinians and injuries to about 157,000 others, most of whom are children and women.

The Israeli genocide has also left hundreds of thousands displaced and caused famine that has claimed the lives of 273 people, including 112 children, necessitating urgent international action to save the situation.

The occupying state ignores international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to stop the aggression, further complicating the humanitarian conditions in Gaza.