UN-backed experts say Gaza food supplies improving but 100,000 still in ‘catastrophic conditions’
UN-backed food security experts found improvements in nutrition and food supplies in Gaza since the ceasefire but said 100,000 people were still living in “catastrophic conditions” last month.
In August, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) revealed that half a million people, nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population, lived in the zones. suffering from famine.
Since a fragile ceasefire came into force in October, the UN and other humanitarian organizations have managed to increase food flows into Gaza.
Israel’s foreign ministry said the report was “deliberately distorted” and “does not reflect the reality in the Gaza Strip.”
The latest IPC analysis shows that a month ago half a million Gazans were still facing emergency conditions and more than 100,000 were still experiencing “catastrophic conditions” at IPC Stage 5, the highest level of food insecurity.
It is estimated that the number will continue to decrease, but it is emphasized that the situation is “quite fragile”.
IPC Stage 5 refers to the most extreme level of food insecurity, labeled as “Famine” for a region or “Disaster” for households. The report stated that no area in Gaza is now classified as “Famine”.
Israel rejected the original findings on the famine by the IPC, which tracks and classifies global hunger crises, and continued to criticize its methodology.
Cogat, the Israeli military agency that controls Gaza crossings, said the number of trucks carrying food aid each week has gone beyond what the UN has determined is needed.
“The report is based on serious gaps in data collection and sources that do not reflect the full scope of humanitarian assistance,” the organization said in a statement. he said.
The IPC said acute malnutrition was at critical levels in Gaza City and serious in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis.
According to the report, the situation is expected to remain serious in the coming months, but the number of people facing the most severe conditions is estimated to drop to 1,900 by April.
However, he added that the entire Strip would be at risk of famine if hostilities resumed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month that the second phase of the US-brokered peace plan, which calls for Israel to withdraw its troops from Gaza and disarm Hamas, has been completed. close but fundamental issues still need to be resolved.
The IPC said the key drivers of food insecurity include restricted humanitarian access, displacement of more than 730,000 people and destruction of livelihoods (including the destruction or inaccessibility of more than 96% of agricultural land in Gaza).
Israel imposed a full blockade on aid deliveries to Gaza in early March this year and eased the blockade in May, saying it wanted to pressure the Hamas armed group to release hostages remaining in Gaza at the time.
Prior to this IPC report, Cogat said the agency did not engage with the United States or Israel and its methodology, which “reinforces a false narrative driven in part by allegations from Hamas and ignores real humanitarian conditions on the ground.”
In addition, claims that Israel prevented the entry of winter and medical supplies to the region and that there was a shortage of drinking water were also denied.
Unwra, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said that although the report stated that there was no longer a famine in Gaza, the situation remained “critical”.
“The general living conditions in the Gaza Strip are still catastrophic, worsened by winter conditions,” the statement said. It was stated that there should be “sustained, expanded and consistent humanitarian and commercial access”.
