UNRWA warns of 'real risk of famine' in Gaza amid Israel's genocidal war

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has warned of the risk of famine in Gaza, a day after the United States said Israel had been warned to improve aid deliveries to the besieged Palestinian territory.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini told a press conference in Berlin on Wednesday that "there is a real risk today... that we enter a situation where famine or acute malnutrition is unfortunately again a likelihood," pointing to the upcoming winter and the weakened immune systems of Gaza's population.

Vast areas of Gaza have been devastated by Israel's war on the enclave after the October 7 blitz last year by Hamas-led Palestinian resistance fighters.

Israel has been intensifying strikes in the north of the blockaded territory, where the UN has warned hundreds of thousands of people are trapped.

Lazzarini painted a dire picture of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying it had "become a kind of wasteland, which I would say is almost unliveable".

'Huge drop' in aid trucks

In relation to aid deliveries to Gaza UNRWA chief said that "over the last two to three weeks there was no convoy entering into the north except yesterday".

"We have a huge drop of convoys in the south with only an average of fifty to sixty for two million people, while we estimate the number needed much, much higher," Lazzarini said.

However, he stressed that with appropriate action a hunger crisis in Gaza "can be avoided" if convoys and food are allowed to enter.

"We have shown that we can have a polio campaign, so why can we not bring food?" he asked.

Israel's war in the Middle East

UNRWA provides education, health and aid to millions in Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

It has long had tense relations with Israel but ties have deteriorated sharply since the start of the war on Gaza.

Tel Aviv launched the Gaza war after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and around 250 taken hostage in Gaza, by Israeli tallies.

More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's indiscriminate bombardment and invasion, according to Gaza's health authorities.

Israeli leaders in January accused UNRWA staff of collaborating with Hamas in Gaza, leading some donors to suspend funding, although many of those decisions have since been reversed.