A quarter of Gaza's population one step away from famine: UN official

Tel Aviv, Feb 28 (IANS) A senior aid official of a UN body has warned that a quarter of the population of the war-trodden Gaza is one step away from an imminent famine.

According to reports available from the United Nations' aid agencies in Gaza, Rajesh Rajasingham, director of coordination for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, has informed the UN Security Council on the danger awaiting the strip in the days to come.

The senior UN aid official has informed the Security Council that nearly, 5,76,000 people in the Gaza Strip are facing hunger and famine.

He has also warned that widespread famine could be almost inevitable if proper action was not taken.

He said that one in six children under 2 years of age in northern Gaza is suffering from acute malnutrition.

The official added that all the 2.3 million people in the Palestinian enclave rely on "woefully inadequate" food aid to survive.

The World Food Programme (WFP) Deputy Executive Director, Carl Skau, told the 15-member council that it was ready to swiftly expand and scale-up the operations if there is a ceasefire agreement.

The WFP official has also informed that the risk of famine was being fueled by the inability to bring critical food supplies into Gaza in sufficient quantities.

The UN official has also said that the operating conditions faced by the WFP staff on the ground was on almost impossible conditions.

Meanwhile, UN officials said that 75 ton of freight, 10 ambulances, food rations, 300 family tents, etc, had arrived in el-Arish airport in Egypt, near the Rafah crossing to Gaza.

Nearly 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7 after the Hamas's ravage in Southern Israel killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 250 people as hostages into the Gaza Strip.