UN Official Decries Global Inaction as Gaza Hunger Crisis Claims Over 110 Lives
A high-ranking United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) representative told Al Jazeera on July 23 that the international community’s failure to respond to Gaza’s acute food shortages amounts to complicity in a burgeoning humanitarian disaster.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, ten people succumbed to starvation in the 24 hours preceding the UNRWA statement, bringing the tally of famine-related deaths to 111. Among the victims, children account for a staggering 80 fatalities, underscoring the crisis’s disproportionate impact on Gaza’s youngest residents.
In a joint appeal, 109 international aid organizations warned that “mass starvation is spreading” throughout Gaza and urged immediate intervention to avert further loss of life. The groups emphasized that, without rapid action, famine could engulf the entire 360-square-kilometer territory.
The European Union has issued a formal warning to Israel, indicating potential consequences should it continue to obstruct the entry of critical humanitarian supplies into Gaza. Gaza’s six border crossings remain under tight Israeli and Egyptian control, severely restricting the flow of food, medicine, and fuel.
The ongoing conflict has already claimed more than 52,219 lives and injured over 143,000 Gazans since October 2023. UN officials and rights advocates insist that starvation is emerging as a weapon of war, as restrictions hamper aid convoys and civilian infrastructure collapses under relentless bombardment.
UNRWA’s appeal comes amid growing international pressure, including calls for an immediate ceasefire and unfettered humanitarian access. Despite repeated UN resolutions and legal obligations under international humanitarian law, aid deliveries continue to be delayed or diverted.
As Gaza teeters on the brink of full-scale famine, UN and NGO leaders insist that words alone can no longer suffice. They demand that states, international organizations, and humanitarian actors translate statements of concern into immediate, life-saving action.
