NEW YORK, (PIC)
Famine in the Gaza Strip can be averted if aid is allowed in, commissioner-general of UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini has affirmed.
“The last time UNRWA was able to deliver food aid to northern Gaza was on 23 January,” Lazzarini said on social media on Sunday.
“Since then, together with other UN agencies, we have warned against looming famine, appealed for regular humanitarian access, and stated that famine can be averted if more food convoys are allowed into northern Gaza on a regular basis,” the UNRWA chief added.
“Our calls to send food aid have been denied and have fallen on deaf ears,” he said.
“This is a man-made disaster. The world committed to never let famine happen again. Famine can still be avoided through genuine political will to grant access and protection to meaningful assistance,” he stressed.
Lazzarini added that “the days to come will once again test our common humanity and values.”
Recent findings by UN organizations say that general acute malnutrition has spiked in Gaza among children between six and 59 months old, reaching 16.2 percent and exceeding the critical threshold set by the World Health Organization at 15 percent.
Last Friday, the UN Human Rights Office released a report saying that “the severe restrictions on the supply of basic services and humanitarian aid imposed by Israel on Gaza have raised the specters of famine, dehydration, and the spread of disease.
“Most of the population has been repeatedly displaced and crammed into shelters. The blockade and siege imposed on Gaza amount to collective punishment and may also amount to the use of starvation as a method of war, which are war crimes, and may also, depending on further investigation, amount to other serious crimes under international law,” the UN report stated.
