The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has warned that life-saving humanitarian aid, blocked from entering Gaza since 2 March due to Israel’s closure of border crossings, is at risk of perishing in warehouses outside the besieged enclave.
“Humanitarian supplies — food, hygiene kits, medicine, shelter items — are sitting in warehouses outside #Gaza due to the blockade,” UNRWA said in a statement posted on its official Facebook page yesterday.
It went on to warn, “With crossings closed, lifesaving aid is at risk of expiring — that’s food people can’t eat, medicine people can’t take.”
Despite this, the agency stressed that its teams and trucks are ready to deliver the aid to those in urgent need across Gaza, but the continued blockade has left approximately 2.4 million Palestinians facing famine conditions.
Commenting on the situation, Sam Rose, acting director of UNRWA’s Affairs in Gaza, said: “Half a million people inside Gaza are facing starvation suffering from severe hunger.”
A recent international report issued on Monday warned that all Palestinians in Gaza are now at risk of mass starvation. It noted that at least 470,000 people are projected to face “catastrophic hunger” – classified as Phase 5 – between May and September, a 250 per cent increase from previous estimates issued on 19 November 2024.