RAFAH, Gaza Strip—Famine is imminent in northern Gaza, where 70 percent of people are experiencing catastrophic hunger, according to a report Monday that warned escalation of the war could push half of Gaza’s total population to the brink of starvation.
Members of the Al-Rabaya family break their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan outside their destroyed home by the Israeli airstrikes in Rafah, Gaza Strip on Monday, March 18, 2024.
Clashes continued all day in and around the hospital, where Palestinian officials say tens of thousands of people have been sheltering. Outright famine is projected to occur in the north anytime between now and May, it said. An area is considered to be in famine when 20 percent of households have an extreme lack of food, 30 percent of children suffer from acute malnutrition and at least two adults or four children per every 10,000 people die daily.
Jamie McGoldrick, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, called for “all roads” to be opened for aid, including into northern and central Gaza. The WFP report said aid from airdrops is “negligible” compared to what is brought on trucks. “Israel has to do it. It is not a question of logistics. It is not because the United Nations has not provided enough support,” he said. “Trucks are stopped. People are dying, while the land crossings are artificially closed.”The raid on Shifa Hospital began before dawn, when Israeli forces backed by tanks and artillery surrounded the complex and troops stormed into a number of buildings.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief Israeli military spokesperson, said senior Hamas militants had regrouped in the hospital and were directing attacks from inside.
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