Palestinians in Gaza at risk of starvation, aid groups warn

Palestinians are at a severe risk of starvation in Gaza due to lack of access to food, fuel and price gouging as Israel continues to bombard the territory, multiple aid groups warn.

Numerous aid groups are sounding the alarm at the hunger crisis in Gaza, just days after the United States used its veto power in the United Nations Security Council to block the passage of a resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire. The passage would have required Israel to halt its war against militant group Hamas in Gaza, which has also left thousands of Palestinians dead.

In addition to the frequent bombardments, there is a lack of food in the territory. The available food is also susceptible to price gouging in the territory, where some aid groups have reported one bag of flour costing up to $140.

The United Nations World Food Programme put out a report this month outlining the food situation in Gaza, finding that 97 percent of households in northern Gaza and 83 percent in southern Gaza have inadequate food consumption. Nine out of 10 people in northern Gaza and two in three people in southern Gaza reported spending at least one full day and night without food.

Overall, nearly 50 percent of people in northern Gaza are experiencing severe levels of hunger and nearly 40 percent in southern Gaza are reporting the same.

Carl Skau, the World Food Programme Deputy Executive Director, said in a statement that its humanitarian mission in Gaza is “impossible.”

“With just a fraction of the needed food supplies coming in, a fatal absence of fuel, interruptions to communications systems and no security for our staff or for the people we serve at food distributions, we cannot do our job,” he wrote.

“People in Gaza are desperate. You can see fear in the eyes of women and children. Gazans are living packed into unhealthy shelters or on the streets as winter closes in, they are sick, and they do not have enough food,” he continued.

Save the Children, a global humanitarian aid organization, warned that the lack of food in Gaza will have a “deadly impact” on children. 

“I’ve seen children and families roaming the streets of what hasn’t been flattened in Gaza, with no food, nowhere to go, and nothing to survive on. Even the internationally-funded humanitarian aid response — Gaza’s last lifeline — has been choked by Israeli-imposed restrictions,” Jason Lee, Save the Children’s Country Director, said in a statement.

“Gaza’s children are being condemned to further bombardment, starvation, and disease. We must heed the lessons from the past and must immediately prevent ‘atrocity crimes’ from unfolding,” Lee added.

It also noted that the World Health Organization has warned that the lack of access to food, water and sanitation services could lead to more deaths than the bombings. Save the Children said that the sanitary conditions in most of the camps and shelters are “dire,” with hundreds of people needing to share one toilet.