UNRWA: Immediate aid can stop famine in Gaza

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) urged Israel to permit the immediate delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, noting that its warehouses in Jordan and Egypt are full of essential supplies, enough to fill 6,000 trucks.

UNRWA stated that famine can be averted by "reversing the course of the ongoing disaster and flooding the territory with massive UN aid," following the United Nations’ official declaration of famine in Gaza; the first of its kind in the Middle East.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor indicated that the field reality is worse than the UN classification, with over 1.5 million people experiencing severe hunger. It called for the formation of an international peacekeeping force to ensure aid delivery and protect civilians.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini emphasized that "famine is now widespread in Gaza City, and our warnings have gone unheeded," adding that controlling the famine is possible by stopping the fighting and allowing humanitarian organizations to operate without obstacles.

Meanwhile, Israel and Hamas have begun consultations to coordinate a prisoner exchange deal, with negotiations expected to start in the coming days at an undisclosed new location.

Hamas confirmed that "Gaza City has been subjected in recent days to systematic destruction and massacres of civilians," while U.S. President Donald Trump stressed the need to end the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the territory.

A-H 

ANHA