United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday that “a drop of aid reaching Gaza must become an ocean” to avert a looming famine, warning that conditions were the worst since the conflict began.
“The latest warning from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirms what we feared – Gaza is on the brink of famine,” Guterres said.
“The facts are there – and they are undeniable,” he stressed, noting that two of the three indicators for declaring famine have already been exceeded in parts of Gaza.
“The Palestinians in Gaza are experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions. This is not a warning. This is the reality unfolding before our eyes,” he said.
Guterres stressed that “a drop of aid must become an ocean,” adding: “Food, water, medicine and fuel must arrive in waves and without hindrance.”
“This nightmare must end,” he said.
Speaking of Gaza as a test of global values, Guterres said it was a test “we must not fail.”
“Stopping this worst-case scenario requires maximum effort from all parties – now,” he said, reiterating urgent calls for a cessation of hostilities and unhindered humanitarian access.
According to the IPC, access to food in Gaza is now “alarmingly fragile and extremely dangerous,” with more than 1,000 people killed since May 27 while trying to reach food.
Israel has had a blockade on Gaza for 18 years, and all border crossings have been closed since March 2, preventing the entry of humanitarian aid convoys, despite international calls for the crossings to be reopened.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 147 people have died of hunger since October 2023, including 88 children.
Despite international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli military has been waging a brutal offensive on Gaza since October 7, 2023, in which more than 60,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed.
