"Catastrophic levels" World Food Program warns of imminent famine in southern Gaza

The World Food Program warned on Tuesday that the southern Gaza Strip would “soon” witness “catastrophic” levels of hunger similar to those previously recorded in the northern regions.

This came in a statement by the United Nations Programme, commenting on the “Integrated Food Security Phase Classification” report, issued today, Tuesday, in which 19 United Nations humanitarian agencies, including the World Food Organization, participated in preparing it.

The program explained that there is “an urgent need to address basic problems (in the Gaza Strip) if we truly want to overcome the crisis and prevent famine.”

He stressed that there is "a need to provide greater availability of fresh food, increase the diversity of foodstuffs, provide clean water and sanitation services, provide health care, and rebuild clinics and hospitals."

He pointed out that "it is necessary to have a broad response in multiple sectors" in the Gaza Strip, which has been besieged for years.

The World Food Program expressed its "fear that southern Gaza will soon witness the same disastrous levels of hunger that were previously recorded in the northern regions" of the Strip.

He also expressed his "concern about the decline in the ability of humanitarian organizations to provide vital assistance in the south, putting at risk the progress achieved."

The UN program said that "the (Israeli) hostilities that broke out in Rafah last May led to the displacement of more than one million people, and severely reduced the possibility of delivering humanitarian aid."

He stressed that "the security vacuum (south of the Gaza Strip) has exacerbated chaos and lawlessness, which severely hinders humanitarian operations."

UN data warns of the possibility that the Gaza Strip will witness a famine in mid-July due to the prevention of aid and the restrictions imposed on it by Israel, which controls all crossings and destroyed the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing after controlling it on May 7 last year.

It is worth noting that the “Integrated Food Security Phase Classification” report stated that “about 96% of Gaza’s population (2.1 million people) face high levels of acute food insecurity.”

Since last October 7, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza with absolute American support, leaving about 124,000 Palestinians martyred and wounded, in addition to thousands of missing people.

Israel continues its war despite two UN Security Council resolutions to stop it immediately, and orders from the International Court of Justice to end the invasion of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, and to take measures to prevent acts of “genocide” and improve the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.