PRCS: Gaza Residents Face Imminent Risk of Starvation

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said that thousands of residents of the Gaza Strip face the risk of starvation. PRCS called for the necessity of bringing humanitarian aid into the northern areas of the Gaza Strip and lifting the siege, noting that air humanitarian aid did not meet the necessary needs to reduce hunger rates. It also called for opening the crossings and bringing aid into all areas of the Gaza Strip, stressing that the occupation deliberately and continuously targets relief crews, according to Palestine's News Agency (WAFA). An international report, published on Tuesday, warned of the continued high risk of famine throughout the Gaza Strip, in light of the continuing war and restrictions on humanitarian access, noting that about 96% of Gaza's population face high levels of acute food insecurity. The "Integrated Food Security Phase Classification" report stated that the entire Gaza Strip is classified as being in a state of emergency, which is the fourth stage of the classification that precedes famine, the fifth stage. Over 495,000 people (22 percent of the population) are facing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 5). In this phase, households experience an extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities, according to the report. Source: Qatar News Agency