UN: More hungry people in besieged Gaza due to food shortages and aid blockade

(Patria) - Food supplies are dwindling in the war-torn Gaza Strip, deepening hunger in the Palestinian enclave amid the devastating war waged by Israel, a UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) announced on Sunday.

"Hunger is deepening in Gaza," UNRWA stated.

"People, including many children, hope to get some food to survive during the distribution of hot meals organized by charitable organizations."

The refugee agency stated that it had run out of flour supplies in the enclave this week.

"Nearly 3,000 UNRWA trucks with life-saving aid are ready to enter Gaza," it was announced.

"The siege must stop."

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that Palestinian children in blockaded Gaza are starving.

"The Israeli government continues to block the entry of food and other essential supplies," he said.

"This is artificial and politically motivated starvation. Calls to bring in supplies remain unheeded."

Since March 2, Israel has kept the crossings into Gaza closed for food, medical, and humanitarian aid, deepening the humanitarian catastrophe, according to government, human rights, and international reports.

Nearly 51,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the brutal Israeli offensive since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing a genocide lawsuit at the International Court of Justice over the war in the enclave.