UNICEF: Gaza Famine Fueled by Restricted Aid Deliveries
(MENAFN) Gaza’s escalating famine emergency stems from severe restrictions on aid deliveries rather than an absence of food, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell declared Sunday, amid ongoing child deaths from starvation.
“Children have been spending months and months without sufficient food,” Russell told media. “We see just a horrible situation where children are on the verge of starvation and ultimately dying from starvation.”
Highlighting the preventability of the crisis, Russell stressed that food supplies exist nearby but remain inaccessible due to logistical barriers. “This did not happen because there were cyclones or droughts. This happened because we could not get enough aid in to these children,” she said.
In response to Israeli government denials of famine conditions, Russell stood firmly behind UN findings. She explained that the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)—which officially identified famine in northern Gaza—is determined by “technical people” who independently evaluate food shortages, malnutrition, and starvation fatalities.
“We know children are dying, right? I am tired of a discussion about ...(whether) are we giving the right information or not,” Russell insisted, urging unrestricted international media access to verify the humanitarian situation firsthand.
Challenges of Aid Delivery Under Israeli Blockade
Russell sharply criticized Israel’s Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid system, calling its approach “contradictory” to established humanitarian standards. She noted the UN previously managed 400 aid distribution sites compared to only four under the current foundation framework. “Just let us our let us do our work, too. Let us in. We know how to do this distribution,” she demanded.
Since March, Israel has sealed all crossings into Gaza, halting humanitarian shipments. From late May, it instituted a unilateral aid channel through the GHF, bypassing the UN and key relief organizations.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reports this restricted aid process has coincided with over 2,000 Palestinian deaths and more than 15,000 injuries among those awaiting assistance.
Last Friday, the IPC confirmed famine conditions have engulfed northern Gaza, with projections indicating a spread southward by the end of September.
Since October 2023, Israeli military operations have killed more than 62,600 Palestinians in Gaza, leaving the territory devastated and largely unlivable.
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