Parts of Gaza are officially experiencing a “man-made” famine, according to a Friday report by a United Nations-backed initiative, which added that the situation is expected to worsen after months of relentless conflict.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) found that famine has been confirmed in the Gaza Governorate, which includes Gaza City, now also the site of a major new Israeli offensive.
“As this Famine is entirely man-made, it can be halted and reversed,” the report said. “The time for debate and hesitation has passed, starvation is present and is rapidly spreading. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that an immediate, at-scale response is needed.”
The IPC called for an immediate ceasefire, saying that without a truce that allows humanitarian aid to reach everyone in the Gaza Strip, “avoidable deaths will increase exponentially.”
During nearly two years of war in Gaza, Israel has at times restricted or cut off the entry of aid to the ravaged enclave.
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