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At a Security Council meeting on Tuesday, UN humanitarian agencies reported that the entire population of the Gaza Strip is suffering from hunger to varying degrees, with children and pregnant and lactating women facing serious threats to their health.
The Assistant Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Maurizio Martina, said that some 2.2 million people are in a situation of food crisis or worse (phase 3 or higher of the hunger classification), “the highest percentage of people suffering from this type of acute food insecurity” that this classification “has ever recorded.”
Martina added that they estimate that around 50 percent of the population is in an emergency situation (phase 4) and at least one in four households is in catastrophic or famine-like conditions (phase 5).
The entire food chain, affected
The FAO deputy director said severe restrictions on fuel shipments are paralysing the operation of water infrastructure and desalination plants, the production and delivery of basic food products and the supply of electricity.
According to reports, around 97 percent of Gaza's groundwater is unfit for human consumption.
On the other hand, the capacity of bakeries to produce bread has been severely hampered, he said.
Gaza's food production used to allow for self-sufficiency in most fruits and vegetables, but the conflict has severely disrupted this situation, he said.
Martina added that as of February 15, 2024, 46.2 percent of all cropland was damaged and they estimate that by the end of last month, all broiler poultry had been culled or died due to lack of water and fodder.
Ramesh Rajasingham, an official with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that one in six children under the age of two in northern Gaza suffers from acute malnutrition, and wasting, which is low weight for height, is the most visible and lethal type of malnutrition. Severe wasting, also known as severe acute malnutrition, is its most deadly form.
The agency's director of coordination detailed how military operations, insecurity and extensive restrictions on the entry and delivery of essential goods have decimated food production and agriculture.
In this regard, food security experts warn of a complete agricultural collapse in northern Gaza by May if current conditions persist, with fields and productive assets destroyed or inaccessible, and people having to abandon productive farmland due to evacuation orders.
In addition, severe damage to water infrastructure caused by the fighting and the disruption of power and fuel supplies in October have significantly affected access to water, which is essential for food production and the prevention of malnutrition and disease, Rajasingham said.
The director highlighted the decline in fishing, as access to the sea was banned for boats after October 7, as well as the death of livestock due to lack of fodder and water and fighting. The commercial sector has also been paralyzed.
In addition to the lack of food availability, the official referred to the lack of water, sanitation and health services as aggravating factors, since malnourished people become more susceptible to diseases “that further deplete the body's nutritional reserves.”
The delivery of humanitarian aid continues to be hampered by the closure of border crossings, severe restrictions on movement, denial of access and disruption of public order, among other factors.
According to the director, the suspension of funding to UNRWA is undermining its ability to mount an effective response.
Famine is imminent in northern Gaza
The World Food Programme (WFP) Deputy Executive Director, Carl Skau, said immediate action was needed to allow for an increase in the volume of food and other humanitarian supplies reaching northern Gaza, reiterating that the agency had decided to suspend its operations in that part of the enclave due to a lack of security.
“If nothing changes, famine is imminent in northern Gaza,” Skau said, adding that “we must all live up to our responsibilities to ensure that it does not happen on our watch.”
Skau explained that in southern Gaza, WFP and its partners are on the ground, delivering food as it arrives to shelters, makeshift camps and tents. However, they are unable to provide food regularly or sufficiently to people in need.
“Most of the food is distributed in Rafah, the hub of WFP’s current operations in Gaza, with very little of it being distributed in the camps, and very little aid reaching people elsewhere,” he added.
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