Gaza on Brink of Famine Amid Intensified Bombardment and Aid Blockade
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported Friday that daily hostilities, a deepening fuel crisis, and continuous displacement orders are normalizing mass deprivation for Gazans. This includes deeply troubling reports of malnourished children and adults in hospitals struggling with dwindling resources. Fuel shortages have forced a halt in solid waste collection and the shutdown of water wells, crippling essential services like dialysis. Humanitarian aid movements remain severely restricted, with only seven of 13 coordination attempts facilitated by Israeli authorities.
The dire situation is exacerbated by a near-total blockade on aid. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) accused Israeli authorities on Sunday of “starving civilians in Gaza,” including one million children, by maintaining a total siege since March 2. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated that the agency has been prevented from delivering food into Gaza since that date, despite sufficient stock just kilometers away. The World Food Program (WFP) also condemned an Israeli military attack on a food aid convoy in northern Gaza on Sunday, calling it “completely unacceptable” and warning of potential aid suspension without safer conditions. The WFP highlighted that nearly one in three people are going days without food, with 90,000 women and children urgently needing malnutrition treatment.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that at least 86 Palestinians, including 76 children, have died due to hunger and malnutrition since October 2023, calling it a “silent massacre.” Hundreds of thousands more children under five and tens of thousands of pregnant women are at severe risk. The Ministry urged the immediate opening of border crossings for food and medicine.
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday slammed the “barbarity” of the war and urged an end to the “indiscriminate use of force” following a deadly Israeli strike on a Catholic church sheltering 600 displaced people. He called on the international community to uphold humanitarian law, protect civilians, and prohibit collective punishment and forced displacement. The Pope’s appeal came as Israel issued another evacuation order for parts of central Gaza, further displacing a population already displaced multiple times in the 22-month conflict.
The ongoing Israeli offensive, which has killed nearly 59,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, has largely destroyed the enclave and crippled its health system. Both the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice are addressing allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide against Israeli officials.
