The UN Friday intensified its warnings on Gaza famine, as the humanitarian crisis deepens and preventable diseases spread rapidly amid ongoing Israeli military operations. | Gaza
Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), described the situation as a “descent into a massive famine,” calling for immediate and large-scale food deliveries throughout the Gaza Strip. | Gaza
He cited the latest food insecurity data from the UN-supported Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which indicates that half a million Gazans are currently facing the most extreme levels of hunger, with another 160,000 at risk of slipping into the same conditions in the coming weeks.
Laerke emphasized that the widespread hunger could have been avoided had adequate food supplies been allowed into the region: “They all need food… The entire Gaza Strip needs food.” | Gaza
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, five individuals — including two children — died from malnutrition within the past 24 hours, raising the total number of hunger-related deaths to 322, including 121 children.
Meanwhile, Israeli attacks across Gaza have continued unabated. At least 67 Palestinians, including children and individuals seeking aid, were reported killed on Friday alone.
Some of these attacks targeted al-Mawasi, an area designated by Israel as a “humanitarian zone.” Since October 7, 2023, the total Palestinian death toll in Gaza has surpassed 63,000. | Gaza
According to Gaza health officials, the majority of the killed are Palestinian children and women.
Israeli officials say they do not attack civilian places deliberately and blame Hamas militants for hiding in civilian places.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the allegation that his government is following a policy of starvation on the besieged territory, where majority of the two million people have been displaced in the wake of repeated military operations, and face hunger and health crisis.
The war was sparked by a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Since then Israel has launched deadly attacks, which it says are meant to destroy the militant organization and its infrastructure.
According to Israeli officials, 1200 people were killed in the Hamas attack. Besides, the militant fighters also took around 250 people with them as hostages.
UN Gaza famine
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UN Gaza famine
Highlighting the need to address health crisis, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of a growing number of Guillain-Barré Syndrome cases in Gaza — a rare but serious neurological condition that can cause paralysis.
WHO reported 94 suspected cases, but treatment options are nearly nonexistent due to Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid. Essential medical supplies such as immunoglobulin, plasma treatments, and even basic anti-inflammatory drugs are completely out of stock.
OCHA also noted significant challenges in coordinating aid deliveries. Of 89 humanitarian missions attempted between August 20 and 26, only 53 were successfully facilitated.
The rest were either blocked, denied, or had to be canceled due to logistical and security issues imposed on the ground.
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Muhammad Luqman is Associate Editor at Views News Now. He writes on wide-ranging issues including economy, South Asia, the Middle East, agriculture, economy and innovation. Luqman has worked some of the leading news organizations and won acclaim for his original and research-based works.
