UN Hunger kills most families in Gaza

The United Nations warned on Thursday of a sharp deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, stressing that the vast majority of the population is now entirely dependent on aid.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, told a press conference in New York that 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents are in dire need of shelter and basic assistance, with hundreds of families facing alarming levels of hunger, including four out of five families experiencing critical or catastrophic levels of malnutrition.

He also addressed the funding gap needed to meet the needs of Gaza’s residents, noting that shelter partners require $562 million for an emergency response, of which less than a quarter has been funded, while the most critical cases require urgent interventions worth $165 million.

Dujarric pointed out that efforts to remove rubble and recover bodies are severely hampered by the ban on the entry of heavy equipment and essential supplies needed to facilitate waste removal.

The United Nations renewed its urgent calls for the protection of civilians and infrastructure in Gaza, noting that about two-thirds of families are living in tents or temporary shelters that are rapidly deteriorating due to harsh weather conditions.