Gaza Enters the Most Dangerous Phase of Hunger

Gaza is entering the most dangerous phase of mass hunger. The crisis is being driven by increasingly limited humanitarian aid and expanding territorial restrictions that deepen the economic and humanitarian devastation in the besieged territory.

According to the Palestine Chronicle, the warning was issued by the Gaza Government Media Office amid fresh reports showing that prolonged restrictions and territorial control have altered Gaza’s geographic reality as well as its economic prospects.

The situation, previously regarded as a temporary consequence of war, is now seen as evolving into a structural crisis with long-term consequences.

The Gaza Government Media Office said Israel continues to use food, medicines, and humanitarian aid as leverage against more than two million Palestinians living in increasingly dire conditions.

According to Gaza authorities, aid entering since the ceasefire agreement remains far below needs. After the ceasefire was implemented, more than 131,000 aid trucks were estimated to have entered Gaza. However, only about 48,600 trucks were realised, around 37 percent of what is required.

The situation has deteriorated through May. In the period 1–18 May, around 10,800 aid trucks were scheduled to enter, but only 2,719 trucks reached Gaza. That figure is only about a quarter of what is needed.

The Gaza authorities describe the policy they call ‘drip-fed aid’ as draining food stocks and forcing reductions in various aid programmes.

More than 250,000 families are now said to be wholly dependent on humanitarian aid. Meanwhile more than 1.5 million people face an ever-worsening risk of food insecurity.

Israel is also accused of hindering the entry of meat, frozen foods, and other essential goods. Power shortages and fuel restrictions are exacerbating the situation by disrupting food refrigeration, increasing the risk of spoilage and cases of poisoning and malnutrition, particularly among children, refugees, and the elderly.