Gaza facing man-made 'mass starvation', says WHO chief Tedros
GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) chief said on Wednesday (Jul 23) that Gaza is facing man-made mass starvation, citing the ongoing Israeli blockade and severe restrictions on humanitarian aid deliveries.
“I don’t know what you would call it other than mass starvation, and it’s man-made, and that’s very clear,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a virtual press conference. “This is because of (the) blockade.”
Tedros’s comments followed an appeal by more than 100 aid agencies warning of a deepening hunger crisis in Gaza, where tons of food, clean water and medical supplies remain stuck outside the enclave.
Gaza’s food supplies have run out, aid agencies say, since Israel imposed a full blockade in March as part of its war against Palestinian militant group Hamas. Although the blockade was eased in May, international organisations say only a limited flow of aid is reaching Gaza’s population of 2.2 million.
Israel maintains that the restrictions are necessary to prevent aid from being diverted to militants, and says it has facilitated the delivery of sufficient food. It has repeatedly blamed Hamas for the suffering inside Gaza.
SURGING HUNGER DEATHS
The Gaza health ministry said on Wednesday that 10 more people had died overnight from starvation, bringing the total to 111 since the conflict began, most of them in recent weeks as hunger spreads.
The WHO said at least 21 child deaths from malnutrition have been reported so far this year, but stressed the real toll is likely far higher. Centres for treating malnutrition are full and lack emergency supplies, officials said.
Tedros added that the United Nations and its humanitarian partners were unable to deliver any food between March and May for nearly 80 days, and that aid deliveries since then remain insufficient to meet needs.
According to the WHO, screenings show that roughly 10 per cent of the population in Gaza is suffering from either moderate or severe malnutrition, including up to 20 per cent of pregnant women.
“In July alone, 5,100 children have been admitted to malnutrition programmes, including 800 who were severely emaciated,” said Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative for the occupied Palestinian territories.
