Sat Nov 09 08:53:16 UTC 2024: ## Famine Imminent in Northern Gaza: Experts Issue Urgent Warning
**Gaza City, Palestine:** A global committee of food security experts has issued a dire warning that famine is likely imminent in northern Gaza, where Israeli forces have been conducting a major offensive for over a month. The Famine Review Committee (FRC) has declared that “famine thresholds may have already been crossed or else will be in the near future,” citing a rapid increase in starvation, malnutrition, and death due to lack of food and disease.
The committee’s alert comes just days before a US deadline for Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face potential restrictions on US military aid. The UN estimates that between 75,000 and 95,000 people remain trapped in the besieged northern region.
“Immediate action, within days not weeks, is required from all actors,” the FRC urged, emphasizing the urgency of the situation. Cindy McCain, executive director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), echoed the call, stating that “immediate steps MUST BE TAKEN to allow safe, rapid & unimpeded flow of humanitarian & commercial supplies to prevent an all-out catastrophe.”
Al Jazeera reports that northern Gaza has been under a strict siege for over 30 days, with no food, medicine, or water allowed in. The situation has been described as “apocalyptic” by UN officials, with everyone in the region at “imminent risk of dying from disease, famine, and violence.”
The amount of aid entering Gaza has plummeted to its lowest level in a year, with the UN accusing Israel of hindering and blocking humanitarian supplies. Israel claims Hamas is misusing the aid, a claim the group denies.
The US has called for a minimum of 350 trucks per day carrying food and supplies to be allowed into Gaza. However, figures from both Israeli and UN sources show a stark decrease in the flow of humanitarian aid, with only a fraction of the required amount reaching the besieged population.
The FRC’s warning underscores the dire consequences of the ongoing conflict and highlights the urgent need for immediate action to prevent a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in northern Gaza.
First Piper 