By WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY and TIA GOLDENBERG (Associated Press)
The U.N. food agency stated on Monday that a severe food shortage is very likely to happen soon in northern Gaza, where 70% of the remaining population is facing catastrophic hunger, and that if the war escalates further, about half of Gaza’s total population could end up starving.
Israel is under increasing pressure from its closest allies to facilitate the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip and open more crossings as a concerning report about an imminent food shortage emerged. The European Union’s top diplomat described the impending famine as “entirely man-made” due to the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
Israeli forces, on the other hand, carried out another attack on the biggest hospital in the Gaza Strip early Monday, claiming that Hamas fighters had regrouped there and had attacked them from inside the compound, where tens of thousands of people were seeking shelter. Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.
The military reported that they killed a Hamas leader who was armed and hiding inside the medical center, and that one of their soldiers was killed during the operation.
Last time, the army raided Shifa Hospital in November , stating that Hamas had established a sophisticated command center within and underneath the facility. The military displayed a tunnel leading to some underground rooms, as well as weapons they claimed to have found inside the hospital. However, the evidence did not support the earlier allegations, and critics accused the army of carelessly endangering civilians.
RAFAH OFFENSIVE COULD PUSH HALF OF GAZA TO STARVATION
On Monday, the World Food Program released the most recent findings of its Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, a global process for estimating the extent of hunger crises.
It stated that virtually everyone in Gaza is struggling to access sufficient food, and that around 677,000 people — nearly a third of the population of 2.3 million — are facing the most severe level of catastrophic hunger, including about 210,000 individuals in the north.
It cautioned that if Israel broadens its offensive to the densely populated southern city of Rafah, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly promised, the fighting could force over a million people — half of Gaza’s population — into severe hunger.
“This is the largest number of people facing an imminent food shortage in the world today, and it has only taken five months to occur,” stated Matthew Hollingworth, the acting World Food Program country director for the Palestinian territories.
“It’s still possible to turn this around but there has to be a cease-fire and there has to be significant amounts of food aid to flow consistently, and people need to have access to clean water and health care,” he said.
The northern part of Gaza, including Gaza City, was the primary target of the invasion and entire neighborhoods have been completely destroyed. It is now the center of Gaza’s humanitarian disaster, with many residents reduced to consuming animal feed. About 20 individuals, mainly young people, have passed away because of not having enough food and water in the northern region. The Health Ministry mentioned this earlier in the month.
The U.S. and other countries are dropping supplies by air continuously, while they have also started using a new sea path . However, aid organizations are saying that it’s very important for Israel to open up more land pathways and reduce restrictions. According to the WFP report, airdrops only make up a small part of the aid compared to what is brought in by trucks.
Israeli authorities claim they don't limit the amount of aid coming in and blame U.N. organizations for not distributing it quickly enough. Aid groups say delivering aid is difficult in much of Gaza due to ongoing conflicts, challenges in coordinating with the military, and the breakdown of law and order.
Alex de Waal, the head of the World Peace Foundation at Tufts University and an expert on global famines, said Israel has been well aware that carrying out large-scale operations that destroy important infrastructure, displace many people, and obstruct aid efforts would lead to terrible consequences.
“By not changing their actions, they are responsible for these deaths,” he said.
Before the report came out, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stated that it was Israel's responsibility to make it easier for aid to come in.
“Israel needs to do it. It's not a matter of logistics. It's not because the United Nations hasn't given enough support,” he said. “Trucks are being stopped, and people are dying, while the land crossings are being deliberately closed.”
‘WE’RE TRAPPED INSIDE’
The intense fighting around Shifa Hospital in central Gaza City demonstrates that Palestinian fighters are still present in northern Gaza despite the challenging conditions there.
People taking shelter in the hospital reported that Israeli forces, supported by tanks and artillery, had surrounded the medical complex and were shooting at people inside. They also said the army had entered several buildings and detained many individuals.
“We're stuck inside,” stated Abdel-Hady Sayed, who has been seeking refuge in the medical facility for over three months. “They shoot at anything that moves. … Doctors and ambulances can't move.”
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, about 30,000 individuals, including patients, medical workers, and displaced people, are seeking shelter at the hospital. Around 80% of Gaza's population has been displaced due to the war.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the main Israeli military spokesperson, mentioned that the army carried out a precise operation in parts of the medical complex. He claimed that senior Hamas fighters had regrouped there and were launching attacks from inside.
Later, the army announced that they had killed Faiq Mabhouh, who they identified as a senior member of Hamas’ internal security unit. The military reported that Mabhouh was armed and hiding in the compound, and that they found “numerous” weapons in an adjacent room. They also mentioned that their forces had detained about 80 individuals.
Hagari stated that the patients and medical staff could stay in the medical complex and that there was a safe path for civilians who wanted to leave.
Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals and other civilian facilities to protect its fighters, and the Israeli military has raided several hospitals since the start of the war, which was triggered by Hamas’ attack on October 7th into the south of Israel.
The Gaza Health Ministry stated on Monday that at least 31,726 Palestinians have died in the conflict, with 81 deaths in the last 24 hours. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its tally, but mentions that two-thirds of the deceased are women and children .
Palestinian militants killed approximately 1,200 individuals in the unexpected incursion from Gaza that ignited the conflict, and seized 250 others. Hamas still holds around 100 captives and the remains of 30 others, after most of the rest were released during a previous cease-fire last year in exchange for the release of Palestinians detained by Israel.
The United States, Qatar, and Egypt have been attempting to negotiate another cease-fire and hostage release for weeks, but there is still a significant gap between the two sides, with Hamas insisting on guarantees for ending the conflict, and Israel promising to persist with the attack until it eradicates the group.
Magdy reported from Cairo and Goldenberg from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writer Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed.
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