The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has warned that Palestinians in Gaza face an “acute” risk of famine, amid Israel’s total siege on the strip.
“The population is facing an acute risk of famine, with continuously worsening conditions. Basic food supplies are no longer available in markets or distribution points,” Jagan Chapagain, secretary general of the IFRC, said in a post on X on Saturday.
“The cost of remaining essentials, such as flour, has skyrocketed, with one kilogram now reaching as much as $20, making it impossible for two million people to meet their minimum daily nutritional needs,” he said.
Amid the deliberate killings of “desperate” aid seekers at aid distribution centers in recent weeks, Chapagain said, “No one should have to risk their life to get basic humanitarian assistance.”
The United Nations said on 13 July that 875 people had been killed while seeking food at distribution points operated by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and other aid centers since the end of May.
The number now exceeds 900, local officials said.
A report by the Associated Press (AP) has detailed how American contractors guarding the aid centers used live ammunition, stun grenades, and pepper spray against the Palestinian aid seekers.
In its late June issue, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz also reported that the Israeli regime’s forces had received orders to fire on the unarmed aid seekers to “keep them away from food distribution centers.”
Chapagain also reiterated a call “for full and unhindered access for humanitarian assistance” to Gaza.
“Aid must be guaranteed and delivered at scale to meet the overwhelming needs.”
Israel has imposed a total siege on Gaza since March, blocking the entry of humanitarian aid into the strip.
The looming risk of famine came while the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said it has “enough food for the entire population of Gaza for over three months stockpiled in warehouses–including this one in Al Arish, Egypt–awaiting entry.”
In a post on X on Saturday, the organization said, “Open the gates, lift the siege, allow UNRWA to do its work and help people in need among them one million children.”
In November last year, the Israeli regime banned the operations of UNRWA, terminating the body’s decades-long crucial relief practices across the Palestinian territories and putting millions of lives at risk.
The Israeli regime’s bloody onslaught on Gaza has killed at least 58,765 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October 7, 2023.
Israel has long been accused of using food as a weapon of war against the Palestinians in the besieged strip.
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