The World Food Program confirms that the threat of famine is very real in Gaza, and all Rafah bakeries have closed their doors

- Europe and Arabs
- Thursday , 23 May 2024 13:3 PM GMT
New York - Rafah: Europe and the Arabs
The World Food Program said humanitarian operations in Gaza are “on the verge of collapse” as the past two weeks have seen the smallest amount of humanitarian goods enter the Strip since December, “making the risk of famine very real.” according to the UN daily news bulletin. United States and we received a copy of it this morning
In a statement issued yesterday, Wednesday, the program said that less than a hundred trucks had entered Gaza since May 6, adding that “the limited operation of the southern border crossings, the main arteries for the entry of aid, means that hardly any fuel or aid reaches any part of Gaza.” .
The UN program indicated that all bakeries in Rafah have closed their doors, but it is still able to support six bakeries in central Gaza, four in Gaza City, and one bakery since Monday in Jabalia.
The World Food Program added that the military zone in Rafah poses obstacles to accessing its main warehouse, and as a result food is not currently being distributed in southern Gaza, except for some limited stocks that are provided to local community kitchens to prepare hot meals.
“If food and humanitarian supplies do not begin entering Gaza in massive quantities, despair and hunger will spread,” the WFP said.
Lacking all the basics
For its part, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that civilians displaced due to the escalation of hostilities and evacuation orders in Gaza lack shelter, food, water and other supplies and services “essential for human survival.”
This comes amid reports of continued Israeli bombing, as well as violent fighting and ground incursions, especially in eastern Rafah in the south and Jabalia in the north of the Gaza Strip.
United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, in his daily press conference, that approximately 815,000 people have been displaced from Rafah since May 6, in addition to nearly 100,000 others who were displaced in the north in the same period.
He said that about 150,000 people in Khan Yunis registered their names during the past ten days to receive services from UNRWA, while the number of people in UNRWA facilities there increased by 36 percent. He added: "The agency tells us that families are living among the rubble in damaged schools, lacking tents and basic services as well as vital supplies."
Mr. Dujarric said that every effort is being made to establish additional community kitchens in Khan Younis, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City, “however, our partners working to deliver food to those in need have warned that supplies of hot meals may soon run out.”
He stressed that ongoing shortages, including a lack of cooking gas, are hampering efforts to keep community kitchens and bakeries operating.
Beyond disaster
On the health side, the World Health Organization reported that Kamal Adwan Hospital - the largest partially functioning hospital in northern Gaza - was bombed four times yesterday. The Director-General of the Organization, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, indicated that efforts are underway to evacuate 20 health personnel and more than ten patients who are still inside that facility.
The organization described the situation in Gaza as “beyond disaster,” as Kamal Adwan Hospital was out of service, and Al Awda Hospital remained under siege. It is worth noting that Al Awda Hospital has been under siege since May 19, and no one has been allowed to leave or enter the hospital, and 148 hospital workers, along with 22 patients and their companions, are still trapped inside.

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