The Israeli announcement comes as the image of debilitated children sparked international rage after two million Gaza residents were on the brink of hunger and appeared in media outlets around the world.
Finding food has become more difficult and deadly for Palestinians as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US- and Israel-backed organisation, took over the aid distribution process in late May. Hundreds of people have been killed or injured in recent weeks as they attempted to obtain limited humanitarian aid, including 20 people killed yesterday, according to a Gaza Ministry of Health spokesman.
The UN Human Rights Agency said yesterday that “nutrition partners report that acute malnutrition among children in Gaza has reached the highest ever recorded level.”
Almost 12,000 children have been identified as acute malnutrition among children between six months and almost five years old, and more than 2,500 people have said they have suffered from the most life-threatening forms.
Last week, the integrated food security stage (IPC) said it was wary that “the worst-case hunger scenario is currently unfolding on the Gaza Strip.”
The IPC reported that two of the three hunger thresholds have been reached – a plunge in food consumption and acute malnutrition – that a plunge in Gaza.
“Hunger is not declared unproven death from the third standard, malnutrition,” the United Nations said.
The World Food Program said last week that the latest figures confirmed Gaza is “at a serious risk of hunger.”
“This is not a risk for the future, it’s a disaster at the present,” WFP said.
