As hostilities between Israel and Hamas show no sign of abating, 40% of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip is threatened by famine, according to a UN refugee agency.
“Every day is a struggle for survival, finding food and finding water,” Thomas White, Gaza director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), was quoted as saying on X on Thursday.
“Gaza is grappling with catastrophic hunger. 40% of the population are now at risk of famine,” the UNRWA said.
“The reality is, we need more aid. The only remaining hope is a humanitarian ceasefire.”
Israel has repeatedly said that it is allowing enough aid supplies into the sealed-off coastal strip, while accusing UN organizations are failing to distribute them. Israel also alleges that Hamas is stealing aid deliveries.
Relief workers have stressed that transporting and delivering aid is extremely difficult amid the ongoing hostilities. The last and only pause in fighting in the Gaza war took place at the end of November and lasted one week.
