UN: Famine Is Certain in Gaza without Cease-fire
2024-02-29
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1A United Nations official warned Tuesday that the Gaza Strip is at high risk of famine, an extreme lack of food, if the war there does not stop soon.
2Ramesh Rajasingham is director of the coordination division in the U.N. humanitarian office.
3"If nothing is done, we fear widespread famine in Gaza is almost inevitable, and the conflict, which since October has claimed the lives of almost 30,000 people and injured more than 70,000 ... will have many more victims," he said.
4Rajasingham spoke at a meeting of the U.N. Security Council requested by members Algeria, Guyana, Slovenia and Switzerland.
5There are rising concerns that hunger is being used as a weapon in the war.
6Rajasingham said at least 576,000 people in Gaza - 25 percent of the population - are very close to famine.
7Almost the entire population is depending on food aid to survive, he said.
8"Gaza is seeing the worst level of child malnutrition anywhere in the world," said Carl Skau, an official with the U.N.'s World Food Program (WFP).
9Maurizio Martina is assistant director-general of the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization.
10He explained how the entire food supply chain has been impacted by the war.
11He said Israel has forced farmers to leave their land or flee shelling that has destroyed crops.
12Farm animals are dying from hunger or killed in bombings.
13Fishing is banned and ground water is polluted.
14"In the most likely scenario, agricultural production will have collapsed in the north by May 2024," Martina said.
15"We are already seeing this collapse."
16Martin Griffiths is the U.N. humanitarian chief.
17He said humanitarians continue to face serious difficulties in providing aid.
18"These include border crossing closures, serious movement restrictions, access denials, onerous vetting procedures, security risks, incidents by desperate civilians, a breakdown of law and order, and restrictions on communications and protective equipment," Griffiths wrote.
19Israel denies it is restricting or limiting the delivery of aid to Gaza.
20"Israel is doing all it can to care for civilians, going above and beyond what is expected, let alone required," Israel's deputy U.N. envoy Jonathan Miller told the council.
21Miller said Israel has helped the delivery of 254,000 tons of relief supplies into Gaza since the start of the war, including 165,000 tons of food.
22He blamed Hamas for diverting aid and the U.N. for failing to properly manage and distribute it.
23The situation is most serous in northern Gaza, which remains cut off by the Israeli military.
24About 300,000 people are believed to have ignored Israel's earlier evacuation order and remained through months of heavy fighting between the Israel Defense Forces and Hamas.
25"If nothing changes, a famine is imminent in northern Gaza," WFP's Skau said.
26The U.N. agency that assists Palestinians, UNRWA, delivers most of the relief supplies.
27It says the last time it was able to get food aid to northern Gaza was on January 23.
28On February 20, the World Food Program suspended its deliveries to the north because of a lack of security in the area.
29The World Health Organization last reached Gaza City's largest hospital, Al Shifa, on January 22 with medical supplies.
30One week ago, the 15-nation Security Council failed to pass an agreement calling for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire because of a veto from the United States.
31Several council members repeated their call for a cease-fire at Tuesday's meeting.
32Even Israel's closest ally, the United States, displayed its growing displeasure with the slow delivery of aid.
33It urged Israel to keep border crossings open and to open new ones.
34"Simply put, Israel must do more," Ambassador Robert Wood said.
1A United Nations official warned Tuesday that the Gaza Strip is at high risk of famine, an extreme lack of food, if the war there does not stop soon. 2Ramesh Rajasingham is director of the coordination division in the U.N. humanitarian office. 3"If nothing is done, we fear widespread famine in Gaza is almost inevitable, and the conflict, which since October has claimed the lives of almost 30,000 people and injured more than 70,000 ... will have many more victims," he said. 4Rajasingham spoke at a meeting of the U.N. Security Council requested by members Algeria, Guyana, Slovenia and Switzerland. There are rising concerns that hunger is being used as a weapon in the war. 5Rajasingham said at least 576,000 people in Gaza - 25 percent of the population - are very close to famine. Almost the entire population is depending on food aid to survive, he said. 6"Gaza is seeing the worst level of child malnutrition anywhere in the world," said Carl Skau, an official with the U.N.'s World Food Program (WFP). 7Agricultural production collapsing 8Maurizio Martina is assistant director-general of the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization. He explained how the entire food supply chain has been impacted by the war. He said Israel has forced farmers to leave their land or flee shelling that has destroyed crops. Farm animals are dying from hunger or killed in bombings. Fishing is banned and ground water is polluted. 9"In the most likely scenario, agricultural production will have collapsed in the north by May 2024," Martina said. "We are already seeing this collapse." 10Flow of aid 'unpredictable,' 'insufficient' 11Martin Griffiths is the U.N. humanitarian chief. He said humanitarians continue to face serious difficulties in providing aid. 12"These include border crossing closures, serious movement restrictions, access denials, onerous vetting procedures, security risks, incidents by desperate civilians, a breakdown of law and order, and restrictions on communications and protective equipment," Griffiths wrote. 13Israel denies it is restricting or limiting the delivery of aid to Gaza. 14"Israel is doing all it can to care for civilians, going above and beyond what is expected, let alone required," Israel's deputy U.N. envoy Jonathan Miller told the council. 15Miller said Israel has helped the delivery of 254,000 tons of relief supplies into Gaza since the start of the war, including 165,000 tons of food. He blamed Hamas for diverting aid and the U.N. for failing to properly manage and distribute it. 16Famine 'imminent' in northern Gaza 17The situation is most serous in northern Gaza, which remains cut off by the Israeli military. 18About 300,000 people are believed to have ignored Israel's earlier evacuation order and remained through months of heavy fighting between the Israel Defense Forces and Hamas. 19"If nothing changes, a famine is imminent in northern Gaza," WFP's Skau said. 20The U.N. agency that assists Palestinians, UNRWA, delivers most of the relief supplies. It says the last time it was able to get food aid to northern Gaza was on January 23. On February 20, the World Food Program suspended its deliveries to the north because of a lack of security in the area. The World Health Organization last reached Gaza City's largest hospital, Al Shifa, on January 22 with medical supplies. 21One week ago, the 15-nation Security Council failed to pass an agreement calling for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire because of a veto from the United States. Several council members repeated their call for a cease-fire at Tuesday's meeting. 22Even Israel's closest ally, the United States, displayed its growing displeasure with the slow delivery of aid. It urged Israel to keep border crossings open and to open new ones. 23"Simply put, Israel must do more," Ambassador Robert Wood said. 24Margaret Besheer wrote this story for Voice of America. Dan Novak adapted it for VOA Learning English. 25_________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27humanitarian - adj. concerned with or seeking to promote human welfare 28inevitable - adj. sure to happen 29onerous - adj. difficult and unpleasant to do or deal with 30vet - v. to check carefully to make sure it is acceptable 31divert - v. to change the direction or use of 32evacuate - v. to remove from a dangerous place 33imminent - adj. happening very soon