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The population of the Gaza Strip is facing unprecedented crisis, according to the latest IPC alert released yesterday. Calling the situation the “worst-case scenario,” the alert reports famine-level food consumption throughout most of the territory and acute malnutrition in Gaza City.
Since the last alert was issued in May, the already catastrophic conflict has only escalated. Nearly 90 percent of the territory’s population is now either displaced or living within militarized areas. One in three people reported going without food for more than one day at a time in July, and the number of households experiencing extreme hunger and food insecurity doubled between May and July. The number of hunger-related deaths among children under five also increased rapidly in July, and IPC emphasizes that hunger-related deaths throughout the entire population will only continue to increase without immediate action.
In addition to the food crisis, critical infrastructure has been destroyed, leading to unprecedented lack of access to clean water, gas for cooking and heating, shelter, and health and sanitation services. This declining access to essential services has led to increased incidence of disease. Nine out of ten households reported lack of reliable access to clean water in June, and diarrhoeal diseases accounted for nearly 40 percent of reported illnesses in July.
Humanitarian access has been severely restricted throughout the entirety of the nearly two-year-long conflict. Requests to allow deliveries of food, medical supplies, and other humanitarian aid by either land or sea have been denied repeatedly throughout the crisis; while border blockades were lifted slightly in May, food assistance remains extremely limited and has been further complicated by violence at aid sites. Since the end of May, more than 1,000 people have been killed while trying to receive food supplies.
IPC emphasizes the need for an immediate ceasefire to alleviate the suffering of Gaza’s civilian population. A cessation of the fighting will allow the flow of food, water, fuel, and medical supplies to resume, as well as the restoration of basic health and sanitation services and the rebuilding of critical infrastructure.
If the conflict continues unabated, further widespread starvation and death is inevitable.
Sara Gustafson is a freelance writer and communications consultant.