Aid experts tell UN Security Council Gaza famine is ‘manmade’ as Israel seeks retraction from hunger monitoring system.
UN officials and aid agencies have warned that famine in Gaza is now a reality, with children increasingly dying of hunger as Israel’s siege and bombardment continue to block essential, life-saving aid.
In a stark address to the UN Security Council on Wednesday, officials said famine and widespread hunger in the besieged enclave are “engineered” and “man-made” catastrophes.
Joyce Msuya, the UN’s deputy humanitarian chief, told the council that famine has been confirmed in the north-central Gaza governorate, where Gaza City is located, and is expected to spread to Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis to the south by the end of September.
“Over half a million people currently face starvation, destitution and death,” Msuya said. “By the end of September, that number could exceed 640,000. Virtually no one in Gaza is untouched by hunger.”
