UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says living situation in Gaza can be described as “famine”…reports Asian Lite News
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the word “famine” could be used to describe the living situation in Gaza.
“Just when it seems there are no words left to describe the living hell in Gaza, a new one has been added: ‘famine,'” Guterres said in a statement.
“This is not a mystery — it is a man-made disaster, a moral indictment, and a failure of humanity itself,” he said, noting that famine is not only about food, but also the deliberate collapse of the systems needed for human survival. He warned that people were starving, children dying, and those with the duty to act were failing.
“As the occupying power, Israel has unequivocal obligations under international law — including the duty of ensuring food and medical supplies of the population,” he said, adding that this situation could not be allowed to continue with impunity.
“No more excuses. The time for action is not tomorrow — it is now. We need an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages, and full, unfettered humanitarian access,” Guterres said.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry called for decisive international action to compel Israel to address and halt the spread of famine, after a United Nations-backed initiative confirmed that parts of Gaza are experiencing a “man-made” famine
Senior UN officials warned on Friday that Gaza is facing a severe famine caused by Israeli restrictions and obstruction of humanitarian aid, calling for an immediate ceasefire and full, unimpeded access to deliver food and supplies to civilians in urgent need.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Friday called for decisive international action to compel Israel to address and halt the spread of famine, after a United Nations-backed initiative confirmed that parts of Gaza are experiencing a “man-made” famine.
In a statement, the ministry urged action to compel Israel “to immediately halt the crimes of genocide, displacement, and annexation, as the only way to stop, contain, and address famine, prevent its spread, ensure the opening of crossings, allow sustainable delivery of humanitarian aid, and begin the immediate reconstruction of Gaza.”
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported on Friday that famine has been confirmed in the Gaza Governorate, which includes Gaza City, and more than half a million people in Gaza are facing famine conditions marked by starvation, destitution and death. Israel dismissed the report as false and biased, denying that a famine is occurring in Gaza.
In a statement, Hamas said it considered the declaration “a confirmation of the magnitude of the humanitarian disaster our people are exposed to due to the ongoing Israeli aggression, which uses starvation as a tool of war and extermination against civilians, in blatant violation of international humanitarian law and all international norms and charters.”
The movement called for immediate international action to stop the war, lift the blockade, open the crossings without restrictions for the entry of food, medicine, and water, and hold Israel legally accountable for using starvation as a weapon of war.
The IPC report warned that famine is expected to expand southward to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis between mid-August and the end of September. Over 640,000 people, or nearly a third of the population, are projected to face catastrophic conditions, with another 1.14 million people facing emergency levels of food insecurity.
The Gaza Strip is experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, which has worsened since March 2, after the Israeli authorities closed all crossings into the Strip.
According to Gaza’s health authorities on Friday, 273 people have died from starvation and malnutrition in the enclave since the beginning of the war, including 112 children.
