Geneva – Saba:
The World Health Organization (WHO) stated on Thursday that the Gaza Strip is currently experiencing the worst-case famine scenario, according to warnings issued this week by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
In a statement, the organization said, "People are going days without food, while others are dying as their malnourished and severely weakened bodies succumb to disease or organ failure."
It explained that while health systems are typically a source of relief, Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure lacks basic medical supplies, fuel, and other essentials needed to function properly—leaving humanitarian and medical workers themselves weakened by hunger.
"Starvation is a slow and agonizing death," WHO continued. "A starving child—among the most vulnerable—may cry endlessly in pain until becoming too weak to even weep. Without urgent treatment, children suffering from severe acute malnutrition will die."
The organization warned that "stopping this devastating loss of life and reversing this man-made catastrophe will take months, if not years. Recovering from malnutrition requires specialized medical care, therapeutic nutrition, and precise supplements."
In severe cases, the consequences can be lifelong—including stunted growth, impaired brain development, and other permanent health complications.
WHO noted that IPC partners, including itself, will continue assessments, but the severity of the situation is undeniable. It stressed the urgent need for large-scale, unimpeded access for food, medicine, and all forms of aid through all possible routes, emphasizing that UN supplies are ready and waiting at the borders.
The organization called on the Israeli entity to immediately facilitate access for the UN and other humanitarian actors to ensure safe, rapid, and obstruction-free aid delivery and distribution—along with a ceasefire—to end this suffering.
Since Israel’s closure of Gaza’s crossings in early March and its severe restrictions on food, relief, fuel, and medical aid, Palestinians in Gaza have faced unprecedented hunger. Over time, food supplies have been exhausted, markets stand empty, and finding even a loaf of bread has become nearly impossible—while available goods are sold at exorbitant prices. Starvation has now become one of the leading causes of death in the Strip.
With American and European support, the Israeli enemy army has continued its genocidal war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, killing 60,249 Palestinian civilians (mostly children and women) and injuring 147,089—though these figures remain incomplete, as thousands remain buried under rubble or in streets inaccessible to rescue teams.
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