UNRWA’s head, Philippe Lazzarini, argues that the nutritional situation is ‘built, manufactured and deliberate hunger’, a strategy in which ‘foods were used as a war instrument’
One third of the children in and in the north of the territory they suffer from severe malnutrition and will not survive, the head of Philippe Lazzarini. “If we look at the information that comes from our health centers, one in three children in the city of Gaza and northern Gaza is severely malnourished, many of them will not survive. Many more people, in the coming days and weeks, will die because of hunger,” he said.
Lazzarini has asked no one to forget that it is “a hunger built, manufactured and deliberate”, a strategy in which “foods were used as an instrument of war”. The nutritional situation has not stopped deteriorating since the beginning of March, when the ceasefire was closed between e for about two months. “Since then, there have been hunger alerts and for the first time people are starving. More than 200 hunger deaths have been recorded and there will undoubtedly be many others,” Lazzarini anticipated an event organized by the Swiss Press Club in Geneva.
The head of the UN’s main help agency in Palestinian territories stated that if Israel begins a new offensive against the city of Gaza, which is in full preparation, “many will not even have the strength to move” to the center and southern Enclave, according to Israeli guidelines. The Palestinian population is extremely weakened by almost two years of armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and the entire population, but in particular children, is suffering from hungry and their consequences, with a severe malnutrition rate that has multiplied by six since March, said Unrwa.
In addition to the hunger and attacks of the Israeli Defense Forces (FDI), hundreds of Palestinians died in an attempt to supply food at militarized centers of the so -called Humanitarian Foundation for Gaza (GHF), administered by Israel with US funding. Lazzarini recalled that 1,500 hungry people were killed near the only four distribution points of this entity while the ceasefire was in force. In addition, the form of distribution of the GHF excludes the most vulnerable people, unable to walk long distances under a relentless sun and then make the way back carrying boxes with some foods. Israel cut earlier this year’s contact with Unrwa, whom he has sought to discredit all possible means.
*With information from EFE
