Addis Ababa: The development comes as UN Secretary-General António Guterres cautioned that conflict-driven hunger is spreading from Gaza to Sudan and beyond. Hunger fuels instability and undermines peace. We must never accept hunger as a weapon of war, he said in a video message to the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktake in Addis Ababa.
According to EMM, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, reported alarming news on Monday that more children have died of hunger. The agency expressed hope to obtain permission for thousands of trucks loaded with food, medicine, and hygiene supplies to enter Gaza, where they have been blocked by Israel for months. This follows Israel's announcement over the weekend of a daily humanitarian pause from 10 am to 8 pm local time in areas not active with its troops. Child malnutrition has been rising in Gaza, particularly since March 2, when a near-total blockade was imposed by Israel, according to UNRWA.
A map provided by the Israeli authorities indicates that the humanitarian pause applies to a narrow strip of Gaza including Al-Mawasi in the southwest, Deir Al-Balah in the center, and Gaza City in the north. On Sunday, over 100 trucks carrying aid supplies reportedly entered the Strip via the Kerem Shalom border crossing in the south.
The UN aid coordination office, OCHA, highlighted the urgent needs on the ground in Gaza. Tom Fletcher, UN Emergency Relief Chief and head of OCHA, stressed that one in three people hasn't eaten for days, and people are being shot just trying to get food for their families. Despite progress on the aid front, vast amounts of aid are still required to prevent famine and a health crisis, Fletcher stated. He emphasized the need for sustained action, quicker convoy clearances, and secure routes for UN humanitarian convoys.
Additionally, customs restrictions on food, medicine, and fuel from Egypt have reportedly been lifted, providing a temporary boost for increased aid in Gaza. Secure routes for humanitarian convoys have also been designated to ensure the safe delivery of aid.
Meanwhile, in New York, France and Saudi Arabia launched a new diplomatic initiative on Monday to push for a two-State solution between Israel and the Palestinian people. The three-day conference coincides with President Emmanuel Macron's announcement that France will formally recognize Palestine in September, making it the first G7 nation to do so. This initiative aligns with a UN General Assembly resolution from 1947, which established the partition of Palestine into two independent States, one Jewish and the other Arab, with the State of Israel declared in 1948.
