UN chief expresses alarm at ‘catastrophic levels of hunger’ in Gaza

NEW YORK: The United Nations chief Thursday expressed alarm at the 'catastrophic levels of hunger' in the war-torn Gaza Strip. 'Alarmed by today's IPC report findings that high displacement and restrictions on humanitarian aid flows mean people in Gaza are facing catastrophic levels of hunger,' UN Secretary-General António Guterres posted on X. 'Famine looms. This is intolerable,' he added. his call for opening Gaza's border crossings, he said: 'Crossing points must open immediately, bureaucratic impediments must be removed, and law and order restored so UN agencies can deliver lifesaving humanitarian assistance.'. Israel has proceeded with its genocidal offensive on the war-torn Strip in complete disregard of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered Israel in a legally binding decision to halt its military offensive in Rafah, which may violate its obligations under the Genocide Convention. Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7, killing at least 42,438 Palestinia ns and injuring over 99,246 others. Moreover, at least 10,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children. The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt - in what has become Palestine's largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba. Source: Palestine news & Information Agency - WAFA