US warns Gaza facing 'acute food insecurity' as UN declares famine 'imminent'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the entire population of Gaza is experiencing 'severe levels of acute food insecurity', as the UN food agency has declared famine is imminent in the enclave, underscoring the urgency for increasing the delivery of humanitarian aid to people starving in the territory.

A family break their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan outside their destroyed home by Israeli airstrikes in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Monday, 18 March, 2024. AP - Fatima Shbair

Speaking at press conference in the Philippines where Blinken is on an official visit this Tuesday, the top US diplomat said: "According to the most respected measure of these things, 100 percent of the population in Gaza is at severe levels of acute food insecurity. That's the first time an entire population has been so classified."

'Catastrophic' hunger

Blinken's remarks came on the eve of his return to the Middle East – this time to Saudi Arabia and Egypt – to discuss efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and ramp up aid deliveries.

A United Nations-backed food security assessment warned Monday that half of Gazans are experiencing "catastrophic" hunger, with famine projected to hit the north of the territory by May unless there is urgent intervention.

Speaking on RFI, the FAO Director for Emergencies and Resilience, Rein Paulsen stressed: "The latest findings paints an extremely concerning situation. And when we think about the north of Gaza – where the situation is the most precarious – the latest analysis tells us that famine is imminent in the period between now and May in the north of Gaza ... we're facing a catastrophic situation in technical terms."

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In the south of Gaza, Paulsen underlined "the situation has also worsened and there we maintain the projection of famine likely."

This comes as Martin Griffiths, the UN's humanitarian chief, has called for Israel to allow unfettered aid into the besieged Palestinian territory, saying there was "no time to lose".

With aid agencies reporting huge difficulties gaining access to Gaza, particularly the north, the UN has been warning for weeks that a famine is looming.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification partnership said Monday that while the technical criteria for a famine had not yet been met, "all evidence points towards a major acceleration of deaths and malnutrition". 

Famine is imminent in Gaza.

The international community should hang its head in shame for failing to stop it. pic.twitter.com/UjjaS094B3

— Martin Griffiths (@UNReliefChief) March 18, 2024

Testimony of despair

French doctors who have been working in Gaza have described the situation as "unspeakable and unjustifiable". 

Dr Khaled Benboutrif and his colleague Pascal André have described the lack of antiseptics, patients screaming in pain and "avoidable deaths".

On their return after several weeks volunteering at the European Hospital in Gaza, the two French doctors described operations carried out under "terrible" conditions in the enclave.

"There are no longer any resources to ensure the asepsis [prevention of infectious diseases] of a hospital ward", said Dr Khaled Benboutrif, an emergency doctor from Toulouse, who travelled to southern Gaza between 22 January and 6 February with the Palmed medical association, which specialises in helping Palestinians.

"We couldn't find anywhere to treat them, there were no stretchers ... we had to treat the seriously injured on the ground", added the 60-year-old at a press conference in Marseille.

André, an infectious diseases specialist by training, noted that between 8 and 22 February "a lot of patients had serious post-operative infections" because the operating theatre was "not sufficiently clean" due to the lack of antiseptics.

"Surgery is carried out in terrible conditions because people can't clean themselves properly beforehand", explained Pascal André.

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Rein Paulsen, FAO Director of Emergency and Resilience on Gaza

RFI

Snipers 'target children'

In addition to the victims of bombardments, Dr Benboutrif explained that he had seen "a lot of sniper victims" in the emergency department.

"It was clear that children were being shot at. It was well planned and well calculated", said the doctor, referring to the case of an 11-year-old girl who became a quadriplegic after being hit by a bullet in the neck.

The two doctors regretted the lack of attention paid to their testimony since their return to Europe. "I am suffering from the silence", concluded Dr André.

To date, the Israeli military operation launched in retaliation to the 7 October Hamas attack has killed more than 31,700 people in the Gaza Strip, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health.

Israel controls the entry of ground aid into Gaza, which is still far from sufficient to meet the immense needs of the 2.4 million inhabitants – the vast majority of whom are threatened with starvation according to the UN.