UN: Famine can still be prevented in Gaza

(Patria) - Famine can still be prevented in Gaza if Israel allows humanitarian agencies to bring in more aid, said yesterday the head of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini.

According to UN data, 2.2 million people, the vast majority of the population, are at risk of famine in the Gaza Strip due to Israeli attacks.

Severe shortages could lead to a higher infant mortality rate in the north of the territory, where one in six children under the age of two suffers from acute malnutrition.

- This is a man-made catastrophe… The world was committed to never allowing famine again - said Lazzarini.

According to him, famine can still be "avoided with genuine political will to enable access and protection of aid".

Palestinians in Gaza told AFP in recent days that they are forced to eat leaves, animal feed, and even kill animals meant for carrying loads for food.

Before the war, about 500 trucks entered the Gaza Strip daily with various goods. But since October 7, that number has rarely exceeded 200, despite the enormous needs that are now even more urgent, as the economy and agricultural production have been devastated by the war, the UN adds.