UN: Gaza Now the Hungriest Place on Earth
Millions Face Famine, Starvation Amid Ongoing Blockade
Gaza has become the “hungriest place on Earth”, warns the United Nations. The entire population is now at risk of famine, as Israel continues to block aid, starve civilians, and displace families under its military campaign.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) called the situation in Gaza the worst humanitarian crisis in recent memory.
Aid Operation Blocked
On Friday, UN spokesperson Jens Laerke said the aid mission for Gaza is the “most obstructed” in recent history.
He revealed that out of 900 aid trucks approved to enter from the Israeli side via Karem Abu Salem crossing (Kerem Shalom), fewer than 600 trucks were offloaded inside Gaza. Even fewer were picked up for distribution.
“Our aid operation is being strangled. It’s in an operational straitjacket,” Laerke said.
Desperation grows by the day. “I have no flour, no oil, no sugar,” a Palestinian father told Al Jazeera. “I collect mouldy bread and feed it to my children. I just want a bag of flour. I’m hungry.”
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People in northern Gaza, including Gaza City, haven’t received any aid for days, reported Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud. In Khan Younis and Rafah, families scramble for even the basic essentials.
Empty Hands at Aid Points
Israel recently allowed limited aid after nearly three months of blockade, under pressure from Western governments and humanitarian groups. However, the UN says these efforts have had “very, very little impact”.
Displaced Palestinians like Layla al-Masri say they are being sent away empty-handed.
“What they are saying about feeding the people of Gaza is all lies,” she said. “They give nothing to eat or drink.”
Meanwhile, Israel pushed for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) — a US-backed private aid distributor — to take over food aid delivery. The UN and major NGOs rejected this, saying GHF lacks neutrality and forces displacement.
Only three out of four GHF aid points are working. Many families can’t reach them or are turned away without food.
Weaponising Starvation
The UN Arab Group accused Israel of “weaponising starvation” in Gaza. Human rights advocates say denying food is not only inhumane, it may constitute a war crime.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric confirmed that conditions are at their worst since the war began. “The catastrophic situation in Gaza continues,” he said.
Calls are growing for Israel to end its blockade, allow food and supplies, and cooperate with neutral humanitarian agencies.
Until then, over 2 million Palestinians remain on the brink of mass famine — in what the UN says is now one of the most preventable humanitarian disasters of our time.
