Gaza Faces Famine: Lazzarini Warns of Starvation

UNRWA reports that two million Palestinians in Gaza are facing starvation, with food aid being manipulated as a tool of control.

 

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini confirmed on Saturday that two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are facing severe hunger, accusing Israel of using food as a weapon to dehumanize them. 

The World Central Kitchen, meanwhile, resumed its operations in Gaza after a 12-week hiatus.

In his address at the 51st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, Lazzarini denounced the aid mechanism recently created in Gaza with US and Israeli backing.

He described it as a shameful measure that humiliates Palestinians, turning into a “death trap” rather than providing relief.

Lazzarini stressed that the aid mechanism marks the culmination of over 20 months of terror, inaction, and impunity. 

He condemned the situation in Gaza, where two million people are being deprived of food, with no consequences for those responsible. He also highlighted Israel’s ongoing campaign to weaken the Palestinian state and sever Palestinians’ connection to their land.

The UN official further noted that UNRWA has become a target in this conflict, with its employees facing arrests, intimidation, and harassment by Israeli forces. Lazzarini also warned that Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been displaced from their camps in northern areas at levels not seen since 1967.

Meanwhile, the World Central Kitchen marked a significant milestone by resuming operations in Gaza, after a 12-week break. 

The World Central Kitchen confirmed that its teams in Gaza received the first aid shipments in over 12 weeks. They began cooking in selected kitchens again, with an initial 10,000 meals prepared on the first day of resumed operations.

The organization emphasized that the long-term effects of chronic hunger in Gaza would not be quickly reversed and stressed the importance of sustainable food access for the population.

However, the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is funded by the US and Israel, admitted its failure to meet the urgent needs of the population, despite delivering aid on a large scale. 

The Foundation’s interim executive director, John Acree, acknowledged that large areas of Gaza remain closed, limiting the reach of the aid.

The Palestinian Civil Defense reported on Saturday that 17 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, including eight people waiting for aid at distribution centers managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. 

This organization has sparked global outrage due to frequent deadly shootings at distribution points. Acree stated that while they are working with the Israeli government to open more sites in northern Gaza, the needs of the population are far from being met.

Since May 27, at least 450 Palestinians have been killed and 3,466 injured by Israeli forces at food distribution sites linked to the US-Israeli aid mechanism. Thirty-nine people remain missing.