Catastrophic hunger - 40% of Gaza's population at risk of famine

[Createaplant]

Being reported by the Guardian:

40% of Gaza’s population is at risk of famine, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency said on Saturday.

“Every day is a struggle for survival, finding food and water,” the UN agency for Palestinian refugees added.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/dec/30/israel-gaza-war-live-hamas-palestinians-khan-younis-deaths-un-aid-us#:~:text=40%25%20of%20Gaza's%20population%20is,is%20grappling%20with%20catastrophic%20hunger.

Too sad and completely unnecessary. If only adequate aid, food and water was allowed in.

Pleased to see this too

The US secretary of state Antony Blinken has welcomed the steps announced by Israel on humanitarian aid to Gaza, but said “the real test is results”.

Blinken also said the US will look at the number of trucks entering and getting around Gaza, and will also look at indictators of potential famine to see if they reverse, according to Reuters.

I guess the US won't need to rely on COGAT or any UN agency to gather this data

You're quite right. I was wrong. I revise my statement

You can starve to death on 700g of lettuce or cucumber. If, however, you have 700g of nutritionally balanced and highly caloric food, it is probably impossible to starve to death.

I sincerely hope more than 700g goes into Gaza, and that is is delivered to the people who most need it as quickly as possible. I sincerely hope Israel opens up as many routes as possible for that to happen. I sincerely hope someone steps in to ensure it is not looted and passage can be safe. I sincerely hope the war finishes as quickly as possible by the people who started it surrendering and returning the hostages that they took.

Surely it will take some time for the 'indicators of potential famine' to reverse - eg re-feeding of malnourished patients doesn't happen overnight so hopefully a more long term monitoring is anticipated?

,

Yes, it's most definitely a positive step in the right direction and I hope there's follow through now.
It is a shame it took so long to get to this stage but better late than never I suppose. Many deaths caused by malnutrition could have been avoided

Completely agree @Parkingt111 it's taken far too long and so much suffering could have been avoided - plus the civil disorder which also won't go away overnight

These figures look more like the amount of food aid that should have been going in for months but no mention of Erez crossing

350 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily: Report

Some 250 trucks will pass through the Karem Abu Salem (Karem Shalom) crossing via southern Israel, while 100 will go through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, reports Israeli Army Radio, quoting Israel’s security cabinet.

I noticed fuel quantities are also up this week. That will help as more dry goods as opposed to tins will be able to be provided.

The real problem is that the famine was predicted in Dec/Jan unless supplies improved. Food agencies know that you have to sit and wait for 3 months to see the deaths that trigger a declared famine. Little wonder that they have been vocal. And now the deaths are occurring, as if by magic supplies can be upped. Why someone needed to murder aid workers to accelerate this process ... who knows.

Yeah, it's clear that more aid getting in is Israel admitting that they could have done this all along, they just didn't want to. Considering the denial of humanitarian assistance is a war crime it's really poor form(to put it lightly) for other countries to continue to aid and abet Israel.

Frankly I am rather disappointed with Israel. They are a modern developed country and should be quite capable of conducting an efficient war on Hamas without committing war crimes.

www.bbc.com/news/live/world-middle-east-68738452

So they sacked 2 senior officers over killing food aid workers.

Not jailed, not put on trial... sacked. But at least there's an acknowledgment that they are murdering aid workers. Obviously because Biden has put a tiny bit of pressure on them. Not because that's their policy.

One thing to remember is that even during famines direct deaths from malnutrition are often relatively rare. What happens more commonly is that malnourished children with reduced immunity die from infectious diseases such as diarrhoeal disease, measles and pneumonia, and their deaths are often not specifically recorded as famine-related. It would be good to know what the child / infant mortality rate is currently in Gaza, as well as important to ensure access to clean water, supplementation of Vitamin A and primary health care.

Good point @gloriagloria Destruction of sanitation systems, health care and increased population density also raise the likelihood of infectious disease and epidemics.

155 trucks yesterday - IDF_COGAT

No sign of Erez Crossing opening yet

Pre-war almost all large scale aid went via Kerem Shalom and Rafah and Erez were mainly for foot-passengers and small vehicles

Two trucks carrying medical aid seen passing through Erez crossing heading for Kamal Adwan and Al Awda hospitals

So that's good news

That's excellent I have jusf seen the images of the medical aid arriving at the hospitals

A bit of a long read but has some interesting points . Focusing primarily on Netanyahu's and the Israeli governments response to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the adverse affects on Israel due to it

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-begrudging-approach-to-humanitarian-aid-could-cost-it-the-war-in-gaza/

I have just 5 minutes ago been reading that the medical aid trucks and some other trucks with food aid maybe didn't come through Erez after all - bit of a controversy developing online

@Efacsen I saw the medical aid was delivered to the two hospitals but not seen that it was through the Erez crossing

@Parkingt111 yes the journalist who 'saw' the trucks passing thro' Erez this morning back-tracking now

28 children have died of malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza, as of 1 April, reports OCHA

“In the north, the Nutrition Cluster estimates that more than 50,000 children under five are acutely malnourished,” said the OCHA’s agency in the Palestinian territories in a social media post.

And

According to WHO, Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza has been receiving at least 15 malnourished children every day.

In a country that before October less than 1% of children were malnourished. Devastating

https://www.timesofisrael.com/un-says-israel-approved-reopening-of-20-bakeries-water-pipeline-in-northern-gaza/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

UN says Israel approved reopening of 20 bakeries, water pipeline in northern Gaza

322 trucks were inspected and sent to Gaza on Sunday (7th April)

Hopefully this can be continued.

More war crimes. Denying a population water, food and aid. The ICJ will be busy.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/11/aid-still-not-reaching-gaza-as-top-us-official-warns-famine-has-started