LONDON, (PIC)
A global hunger monitoring group said that the entire population of the Gaza Strip remains at risk of severe famine and that half a million people are at risk of starvation, describing this as a significant deterioration since its latest report in October.
A report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) initiative, released on Monday, said the Gaza Strip “is still confronted with a critical risk of famine” after over a year and a half of devastating war, with the vast majority of its approximately 2.1 million people at severe risk.
The IPC’s latest assessment analyzed the phase from April 1 to May 10 this year and provided projections for the situation through the end of September.
Earlier on Monday, a report by the United Nations Satellite Imagery Analysis Program showed that nearly 81% of arable land in the Gaza Strip had experienced a high decline in crop health and density.
The report said that the destruction of agricultural land was caused by shelling, bulldozing and the ongoing war.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed that the lives of 2.1 million people in the Gaza Strip are at stake and called for an end to the food blockade that has been in place for nine weeks.
The UN office confirmed that its stocks were running low as the comprehensive blockade of Gaza entered its third month.
For its part, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said the longer this blockade continues, the greater the irreparable damage to the lives of countless people.
The agency confirmed that thousands of its trucks are ready to enter, noting that its teams in Gaza are prepared to expand the scope of deliveries.
