Unicef revealed alarmingly that 90% of children in Gaza are not receiving the requisite nourishment for their healthy growth and development. The United Nations children’s agency mentioned in a recent report that the extensive, eight-month Israeli offensive on Gaza has critically dented the food and health infrastructure, resulting in disastrous consequences for children and families.
The report highlighted that agricultural fields have been grievously ruined, fisheries severely affected, and animals left without food, due to the assault. Both food production and storage facilities have sustained injury, whereas specialised medical services geared towards malnutrition eradication have been demolished.
The report, released on Thursday, stated: “This military operation, coupled with rigid restrictions on importing commercial and humanitarian goods, has deprived millions of necessary food, water, and fuel supplies.” The report further revealed that by March, the entire 2.3 million populace was confronting acute food scarcity, with half of the population predicted to experience dire conditions next month.
Drawing comparison to 2020, Unicef pointed out that 13 per cent of children in Gaza were subjected to intense food shortage— implying that they were relying on two or fewer food groups per day. The term severe food poverty, as per Unicef, refers to a diet limited to breastmilk or dairy and a starchy staple, rather than fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, and pulses.
Concurrently, Unicef’s report was released in conjunction with a combined report from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), cautioning that the persisting conflict in Palestine is likely to intensify the already catastrophic acute hunger situation, with both starvation and death incidents being reported, along with the unprecedented death rate, extensive destruction, and the nearly all-inclusive displacement of Gaza Strip’s population.
This joint document projected that without putting an end to the hostilities, granting total access to relief agencies, and reinstating essential services, “over a million people – half the population of Gaza – are projected to be on the brink of death and starvation by mid-July.”
FAO’s director general, Qu Dongyu, stressed that it is imperative to foresee and pre-empt crises. He stated, “By implementing actions ahead of crises, we can save human lives, reduce food deficits and protect livelihoods at a significantly lower cost.”
Cindy McCain, the Executive Director of the WFP, has asserted that by the time a famine is formally announced, it is already too late with many lives lost due to starvation. She reminded us of the tragic incident in Somalia during 2011 when 250,000 individuals succumbed to hunger, with half of those lives lost prior to the official declaration of famine. She emphasized that there was a lapse in heeding the forewarnings. Moreover, Ms. McCain highlighted the existence of viable solutions that can prevent such calamities, however, their effective deployment calls for adequate resources and strong political determination. She underscored the urgency of the situation before more lives are extinguished. Meanwhile, the Government Press Office of Israel, when approached by The Irish Times for a statement regarding the reports, did not furnish any response.