By Obiabin Onukwugha
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), has raised the alarm that Northern Gaza is experiencing a full-blown famine.
The famine is propelled by almost seven months of war between Israeli forces and Hamas.
Executive DIrector of the World Food Programme, Cindy McCain told NBC’s “Meet the Press” in a clip released ahead of an interview airing on Sunday, that negotiators are meeting in Cairo with the hope of agreeing a ceasefire in the conflict raging in the territory.
He said: “Whenever you have conflicts like this, and emotions rage high, and things happen in a war, famine happens,”
“What I can explain to you is that there is famine, full-blown famine in the north, and it’s moving its way south.”
It was gathered that while McCain’s remarks do not constitute an official declaration of famine from the body, the report is based on what WFP staff have seen on the ground.
“It’s horror. “It’s so hard to look at and it’s so hard to hear,” she stated.
McCain said the WFP is asking for a ceasefire and “unfettered access” to Gaza as delivering aid to the territory has been extremely difficult.
According to the UN, more than 1.9 million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced, with many sheltering in cramped tent camps that cannot offer enough access to sanitation or food.
“The entire population of more than 2.2 million people is now at risk of famine, and at least 30 children have already died of malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza,” according to the health ministry.
Human rights agencies had long warned of a spiraling humanitarian crisis in Gaza after Israel’s military assault, launched in response to the Hamas-led October 7 attacks.
US officials noted at the weekend that a limited number of tents are currently being constructed in southern Gaza for the purpose of temporarily sheltering civilians who would be moved out of Rafah in the case of an incursion by the Israel Defense Forces.
However, the official stressed that the tents that are being built are nowhere near the amount that would be needed to house the more than 1 million people who would seek shelter.
Efforts on Israeli ceasefire are yet to yield any result as Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu issued a video statement accusing Hamas of making unacceptable demands in the negotiations.
Hamas political bureau leader, Ismail Haniyeh issued a statement Sunday saying that the Hamas movement is still keen to reach a comprehensive, interconnected agreement that ends the aggression, guarantees withdrawal [of the Israeli military from Gaza], and achieves a serious prisoner exchange deal.