United Nations: Time is running out to avoid famine in the northern Gaza Strip

Rome (ST) – Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), Cindy McCain, warned that time is running out to avoid famine in the northern Gaza Strip, which is facing a humanitarian catastrophe due to the lack of huge quantities of food.

In a joint press conference with the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), Qu Dongyu, and Under Secretary-General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Xavier Castellanos, McCain stated that time is running out and the hungry people of Gaza can no longer wait.

She indicated that the WFP is deeply concerned about the humanitarian conditions in the Strip, especially in its north that is facing a humanitarian catastrophe.

“Famine is imminent if we do not significantly increase the quantity of aid entering the northern regions”, McCain said, pointing to the necessity of bringing 300 trucks of food aid daily into Gaza.

The three parties participating in the conference called on Israel to reopen the land crossings leading to the Strip and to allow sending larger amounts of humanitarian aid.

The specialized agencies in the UN and the IFRC held a meeting on Monday in Rome within the framework of the (Food for Gaza Initiative) launched by Italy, offering to coordinate the work of these agencies regarding Gaza.

Najla Khoury