Griffiths:  Food Security Situation In Gaza Is Unsustainable And There Must Be a Ceasefire

Geneva-(ST)- United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, confirmed that the food security situation in Gaza Strip is unsustainable after 8 months of the Israeli war, calling for the opening of all crossings and the flow of humanitarian and relief aid.

Griffiths stressed the necessity of attaining a ceasefire, ensuring the safety of aid convoys, and not targeting relief workers and health institutions working in the Gaza Strip, noting that “talking about half a million Palestinians facing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity is intolerable, and these numbers show that the situation is still surprisingly harsh.”

Last Tuesday, a report was issued by 19 United Nations humanitarian agencies stating that about 96 percent of Gaza’s population faces high levels of acute food insecurity, including more than 495,000 who face catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity of the fifth stage, in which families face food severe shortages.

In addition, United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric called in a press conference for the necessity of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and not to impede the arrival of humanitarian aid.

Dujarric pointed out that the United Nations has not withdrawn fromGaza Strip, but the obstacles to humanitarian aid in Gaza continue, and it is distributed in light of great risks as a result of the Israeli aggression.

Dujarric said: “The United Nations is trying to distribute aid at great risks, but no progress has been made so far regarding the improvements they have requested from Israel, and the UN’s demands are basically very simple.”

Hanan Shamout