The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday said that civilians in Gaza were facing starvation because food and water had become “practically non-existent” due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
“With winter fast approaching, unsafe and overcrowded shelters, and the lack of clean water, civilians are facing the immediate possibility of starvation,” Cindy McCain, executive director of the Rome-based WFP, said in a statement.
The WFP has been warning of increasing hunger for weeks in Gaza.
It said that bread was now “scarce or non-existent” and that it was impossible to “meet current hunger needs with one operational border crossing”.
The only hope to deal with starvation would be to open a second safe passage to bring food into Gaza, it added.
The UN agency also said that a lack of fuel was also impeding the delivery of food, with trucks that arrived from Egypt on Tuesday were unable to reach civilians because of insufficient fuel.
The amount of food entering Gaza can only meet seven percent of minimum daily caloric needs, said the WFP.
Milestone Alert!Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world 🌏 Click here to know more.
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
Updated: 17 Nov 2023, 01:17 AM IST
