Israel’s now three-week siege on the Gaza Strip is bringing the enclave closer to an acute hunger crisis, the UN agency’s UNRWA chief warned on Sunday.
“Every day without food inches Gaza closer to an acute hunger crisis,” Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X, adding that Palestinians in the enclave depend on aid imports via Israel for their survival.
“Every day that passes without the entry of aid means more children go to bed hungry, diseases spread & deprivation deepens,” he continued.Â
He further noted that Israel’s banning aid is a form of collective punishment on Gaza, highlighting the civilian toll, particularly on women and children.Â
Lazzarini urged Israel to lift its siege, called for captives to be released, and demanded that humanitarian aid and commercial supplies be brought in “uninterrupted” and “at scale”.
Aid agencies, rights groups, and Arab nations have condemned Israel’s decision to halt aid coming into the enclave, citing that the move violates the ceasefire deal and international laws. Some have also said Israel’s actions amount to using starvation as a weapon of war.
First phase of famine
Local authorities warned on Wednesday the Gaza Strip had officially entered the first phase of famine, affecting the lives of nearly two million Palestinians.
The Gaza-based journalist Abubaker Abed is one of the many citizens who announced they are malnourished as a result of Israel’s blockade.Â
“…I was diagnosed with malnutrition and had to stay in bed for the past few days. Being also immunocompromised under such circumstances, malnutrition is like a death sentence,” he wrote in a social media post on Sunday.
Abed has been documenting Israeli assaults and the humanitarian conditions in the enclave since the start of the war.Â
Israel’s blockade, which coincided with the start of the holy month of Ramadan, came amid Israeli calls to extend the first phase of the ceasefire deal, despite it expiring on 1 March. Â
Aid that was once trickling into the Gaza Strip following the ceasefire being agreed in January has now come to a complete halt, with organisations such as the World Food Program revealing they have been unable to transport any food supplies since 2 March.
As the blockade continues, food is becoming scarcer, and prices are rising for the goods that are available.
The Israel army also renewed its offensive on Tuesday, killing over 700 Palestinians in continued airstrikes and shattering the truce that only lasted 58 days.
