UNRWA chief warns of spreading hunger crisis in Gaza

Gaza, Oct 3 (IANS) Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) warned that hunger is spreading in Gaza amid the continuous Israeli offensive.

"Over 1 million people in Gaza did not receive food rations in August, and by September, that number rose to over 1.4 million," said Lazzarini on Wednesday via his account on the social media platform X.

He added that more than 100,000 metric tonnes of food supplies have been cut off from Gaza "due to restrictions on access, insecurity, damaged roads, and the breakdown of law and order."

The hunger in Gaza is "entirely man-made," Lazzarini said. "Nearly 70 per cent of crop fields have been destroyed. An entire population is forced to exclusively rely on humanitarian aid," he said.

As winter approaches and weather conditions deteriorate, the lack of sufficient humanitarian supplies will only generate more suffering, according to the commissioner-general, Xinhua news agency reported.

"What we urgently need is a ceasefire to end the suffering of people in Gaza and throughout the region," he said.

Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage.

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