THE United Nations has issued a stark warning that Gaza is teetering on the brink of mass starvation, as an ongoing Israeli aid blockade, coupled with ceaseless bombardment, has left civilians desperate for food, water, and medical supplies.
Since the collapse of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on 18 March, Israel has sealed all entry points for aid into the enclave, triggering what the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) described as a “worst-case scenario”.
Speaking from Gaza City, OCHA spokesperson Olga Cherevko told reporters in Geneva that residents were now forced to fight over essential resources. “Food stocks have now mainly run out; water access has become impossible,” she said.
Cherevko added, “Hospitals report running out of blood units as mass casualties continue to arrive,” and warned that fuel, vital for hospitals and aid convoys, was being rationed. “Malnutrition cases among children in Gaza are increasing due to a lack of food.”
She relayed a harrowing account from a friend in Gaza who “saw people burning a few days ago from the explosions—and there was no water to save them.” “Gaza is inching closer to running on empty,” she said.
The UN, she emphasised, is maintaining dialogue with Israeli authorities and pressing for border crossings to reopen. “We have mechanis that mitigate diversion [and] ensure that aid reaches the people it’s intended to reach,” she stated.
Cherevko expressed grave concern for the future, warning, “I worry that five, 10, 20 years from now, we will look at our children and grandchildren in shame and we will not be able to explain to them why we could not stop this horror.”
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk echoed those concerns, urging immediate international intervention.
“As the complete blockade of assistance essential for survival enters its ninth week, there must be concerted international efforts to stop this humanitarian catastrophe from reaching a new, unseen level,” Mr Türk said.
He reminded the global community that “any use of starvation of the civilian population as a method of war constitutes a war crime, and so do all for of collective punishment.”
Meanwhile, Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Defence Minister Israel Katz, have declared that they will pursue all available means to press Hamas to surrender, disarm, and release the hostages taken during the 7 October 2023 attacks.
The humanitarian toll in Gaza, however, continues to mount as relief convoys remain stalled at closed borders and vital services collapse under the weight of war.
