The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip remains critical, more than a year after the outbreak of hostilities in Israel. Despite a recent slight improvement in the number of people suffering from severe hunger, the territory remains vulnerable to famine according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
Antoine Renard, Country Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Israel, emphasizes that any improvement in food security observed is due to humanitarian aid and trade flows entering the Gaza Strip. With local food systems destroyed and farms damaged, residents are entirely dependent on supplies from outside. To make real progress, these aid flows must be stable and reliable.
More than 1.8 million people, or about 86 percent of Gaza’s population, are facing severe food crises, according to the IPC. The agency warns that the situation could deteriorate rapidly, predicting a doubling of catastrophic famine levels in the coming months.
Recent aid cuts, the onset of the usual cold and rainy winter, and harsh conditions in crowded camps with inadequate access to food, clean water, and sanitation are all aggravating factors.
This week, the United States warned Israel that military aid could be cut if the ally does not do more to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Israel is delivering more than 5,800 tons of food to Gaza this month, down from nearly 76,000 tons in September.
Aisha Saliby, a woman forced to leave Gaza City, expressed her despair: “Our main wish is for the fighting to stop. We are not asking for food or drink. End the war and let us return home safely.”
In its statement on Wednesday on a second shipment, the Israeli military cooperated in facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, saying it would continue to respect international law.
Israel has had full control of the Gaza land border since May. The Israeli military organization COGAT, which is responsible for civil affairs, says it does not impose limits on humanitarian aid entering Gaza and accuses UN agencies and aid groups of delaying aid distribution.
However, these organizations say their activities are heavily affected by Israeli restrictions, ongoing violence, displacement of residents and the deterioration of public order in many areas.
In recent weeks, Israel has again ordered the evacuation of the northern third of Gaza and launched a new major military operation. For about the first two weeks of October, no food was allowed to enter the region until deliveries resumed on Monday.