GAZA
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that it has exhausted its food supplies in Gaza, where Israel has blocked humanitarian aid deliveries for the past seven weeks.
In a statement, the WFP confirmed it delivered its last remaining food stocks to kitchens providing hot meals to residents, but warned that these kitchens are expected to run out of food in the coming days.
Since Israel cut off aid on March 2 and resumed its military offensive two weeks later following the collapse of a two-month ceasefire, the WFP has faced increasing challenges in providing essential supplies. Israel has stated that the blockade is aimed at pressuring Hamas to release remaining hostages, while the UN maintains that Israel is obligated under international law to ensure the delivery of supplies to Gaza’s 2.1 million residents.
The situation in Gaza has grown dire, with food scarcity worsening. By the end of March, all 25 bakeries supported by the WFP were forced to close due to a shortage of wheat flour and cooking fuel, while food parcels with two weeks’ rations were also depleted.
Malnutrition is on the rise, with the UN reporting a sharp increase in cases of acute malnutrition among children. Last week, 1,300 children in northern Gaza were screened, and more than 80 cases of acute malnutrition were identified, marking a two-fold increase in recent weeks.
In addition to food shortages, Gaza is facing severe medical supply shortages, with hospitals overwhelmed by casualties from ongoing Israeli airstrikes.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has also highlighted shortages of medicine, medical equipment, and fuel for water production and distribution.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the situation in Gaza an “awful and grim moment,” adding, “This aid blockade must end. Lives depend on it.”
