The United Nations has issued a stark warning about the worsening humanitarian crisis in northern Gaza as Israeli military operations escalate.
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) highlighted that the food crisis in Gaza is now the worst in the organization’s history.
Alongside these warnings, calls are mounting for an immediate and genuine safe passage to be opened to rescue Gaza’s collapsing healthcare system.
OCHA’s latest update described the situation in northern Gaza as dire, with Israeli military activities severely limiting people’s access to essential resources.
According to UN partners, only three hospitals in northern Gaza are still operational, functioning at minimal capacity.
These hospitals face critical shortages of fuel, blood, trauma care supplies, and medicines, while approximately 285 patients remain trapped inside amidst ongoing military operations nearby.
The report also noted that food distribution efforts are dwindling as stocks run out. Despite these challenges, UN partners are striving to distribute any available supplies.
In Gaza City, over 110,000 meals are being provided daily by at least ten kitchens, including a new one established in Beach Refugee Camp to support the influx of displaced people from northern Gaza.
However, food supplies are dangerously low, and most bakeries are expected to close in a matter of days without additional fuel.
Adding to the alarm, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) revealed that 733 million people worldwide faced hunger in 2023, with Gaza’s food crisis now being classified as the worst in FAO’s history.
According to Beth Bechdol, FAO’s Deputy Director-General, 96% of Gaza’s population is suffering from severe food insecurity, classified under FAO’s emergency and catastrophe levels.
Meanwhile, Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), warned that the agency’s operations in Gaza are nearing collapse.
During a press conference in Berlin, Lazzarini expressed concerns about a potential famine or severe malnutrition in Gaza as winter approaches and residents’ immune systems weaken. He emphasized that the situation is close to an “irreversible breakdown,” though the exact timing remains uncertain.
Calls for immediate intervention are also coming from Gaza’s health authorities. The government media office in Gaza has called for the urgent opening of a secure humanitarian corridor to safeguard the region’s healthcare system.
Israeli military strikes in northern Gaza have been ongoing for 11 consecutive days, and hospitals in the region are under direct threat. Israeli forces have reportedly warned medical staff to evacuate four operational hospitals: Kamal Adwan, the Indonesian Hospital, Al-Awda, and Yemen Al-Saeed.
