UN Official Warns That Famine in N. Gaza Is Already ‘Full-Blown’

A senior U.N. official conveyed on Friday that the heavily affected northern region of Gaza was now facing what she termed as a “full-blown famine,” following over six months of conflict between Israel and Hamas, compounded by stringent Israeli controls on food supplies to the Palestinian enclave. Cindy McCain, the American head of the U.N. World Food Program, emerged as the most prominent international figure thus far to assert that the populace trapped in the most isolated parts of Gaza had descended into famine.

“It’s horror,” McCain remarked in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” scheduled to air on Sunday. “There is famine — full-blown famine — in the north, and it’s moving its way south.” She stressed the imperative need for a cease-fire and a substantial increase in the flow of aid via both land and sea routes to address the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, home to 2.3 million inhabitants.

The remarks drew no immediate response from Israel, which holds control over access into Gaza and has stated intentions to permit more humanitarian aid and food supplies through land crossings.

Earlier this year, the panel serving as the internationally recognized monitor for food crises had warned that northern Gaza was teetering on the brink of famine and could potentially plunge into it this month. However, the next update on the situation is not expected until summer.

A humanitarian official from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Gaza, speaking to The Associated Press, disclosed that groundwork for a new sea route led by the United States was progressing as planned. This route aims to facilitate the delivery of additional food aid, including treatment for hundreds of thousands of malnourished children, by early to mid-May. The completion of a floating pier, necessary to receive the aid shipments, is anticipated by the American military around that time.

The expansion of aid delivery through the proposed U.S.-supported sea route will be a gradual process, with aid organizations evaluating distribution mechanisms and security arrangements for relief personnel, as per the USAID official. The official, citing security concerns related to operations in a conflict zone, opted to remain anonymous. These comments mark some of the initial insights into the status of preparations for the $320 million Gaza pier project spearheaded by the Biden administration, with USAID playing a role in coordinating on-the-ground security and logistics.