UN: Gaza Has the Highest Hunger Rate in World

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The United Nations (UN) has said that Gaza is now the "most hungry place in the world" with its entire population at risk of mass starvation. The UN has urged Israel to end what it calls a deliberate starvation campaign and allow food aid to enter the besieged territory.

In a statement on Friday, as reported by Al Jazeera, the spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Jens Laerke, said the aid mission to Palestinians in Gaza was "the most constrained aid operation in recent history."

"The aid operation that we have prepared is now constrained by an 'operational straitjacket' that makes it one of the most constrained aid operations, not only in the world today, but also in recent history," Laerke said.

Aid Limited Despite Agreements

Of the 900 aid trucks that were approved to enter through the Karem Abu Salem crossing (known as Kerem Shalom in Israel) from the Israeli side, less than 600 have been unloaded in Gaza. Even less aid has been taken for distribution.

This is reflected in the testimony of one Palestinian who told Al Jazeera: "I have no flour, no oil, no sugar, no food. I collect moldy bread and give it to my children. I want to get one bag of flour for my children. I want to eat. I am hungry."

Al Jazeera correspondent Hani Mahmoud reports from Gaza City that the northern Gaza Strip, including Gaza City, "has not seen a single drop of aid allowed in the last few days."

Distribution Crisis and Aid Organization Controversy

After nearly three months of blockade, Israel, under pressure from Western governments and international humanitarian organizations, has allowed limited aid into the territory and resumed limited UN operations.

However, Israel has also encouraged the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US-backed private aid distributor, to provide essential food aid to starving Palestinians.

The UN and other aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF, arguing that the organization lacks neutrality and that its distribution model forces displacement of Palestinians.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Friday that while any aid reaching those in need was “good,” the delivery of aid had “a very, very small impact.”

Conditions Worsening

“The catastrophic situation in Gaza is the worst it has been since the war began,” Dujarric said.

With only three of four distribution points set up to receive aid from the GHF, people like Layla al-Masri, a displaced Palestinian, are returning empty-handed.

“What they say about their desire to feed the people of Gaza is a lie. They are not feeding people or giving them anything to drink,” she said.

Abdel Qader Rabie, another Palestinian refugee, said his family has nothing to eat. “There is no flour, no food, no bread, we have nothing at home,” he said.

Criticism of Types of Aid

Eri Kaneko, the UN humanitarian spokesman, also criticized the types of aid that UN agencies are allowing into Gaza.

"The Israeli authorities are not allowing us to bring in any ready-to-eat food. The only food that is allowed is flour for bakeries. Even if it were allowed in unlimited quantities, which it is not, it would not be a complete diet for anyone," Kaneko said.

The UN special rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, has described the GHF as a "bait to gather people" that "violates every principle of international law."

Growing Desperation

Al Jazeera's Hind Khoudary, reporting from Deir el-Balah in Gaza, said there was little food coming into the territory because the number of trucks coming in and the aid they were carrying was very limited.

"Despite the trucks coming in over the past few days, Palestinians say they have not really received any food because there are no normal distribution points," she said, adding that many were returning with empty pots.

"Some parents said they were giving their children water just to make them feel full. People said they would do anything for a bag of flour or a food parcel. They are very desperate."

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