Amman, Jordan, November 17, 2024 — Bart Witteveen, the International Rescue Committee's (IRC) Country Director for the occupied Palestinian territory, said:
“The situation in Northern Gaza is now beyond crisis point. The Famine Review Committee (FRC) is warning that famine is likely imminent, if not already underway, in parts of northern Gaza. This marks a sharp and alarming deterioration since last month’s IPC report that projected a tripling in the number of people facing catastrophic food insecurity in the coming months. The escalating crisis is primarily driven by the obstruction of humanitarian aid.
“Over 80% of humanitarian aid into Gaza is currently blocked, with deliveries now at their lowest levels since October 2023. Before October 2023, an average of 500 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza each day. This level was already insufficient to meet the needs of the population. Now the levels have reached dangerous lows. Last month, only 37 humanitarian trucks entered Gaza daily, increasing to just 69 per day in the first week of November. Israeli authorities have allowed only one of these trucks to enter northern Gaza over the past month, effectively severing tens of thousands of Palestinians from vital humanitarian lifelines in what amounts to a siege. The worst-case scenario may already be underway: across Gaza, starvation, malnutrition, and excess mortality due to malnutrition and disease are rapidly increasing.
“The situation is critical. We have days, not weeks, to take decisive action to alleviate these dire conditions. The warnings from humanitarian organizations have been clear and consistent: failure to act will lead to more preventable deaths of civilians.
“We urge immediate lifting of restrictions on aid into and within Gaza. The Government of Israel must fulfill its obligations to ensure that people across Gaza can access food, medical supplies and other basic necessities needed for the survival of the population. Lives are now hanging in the balance.”
Ard El Insan, an IRC partner in nutrition response, said:
“The Northern area is hugely threatened by famine according to international reports. Despite all the sacrifices and exhaustion, Ard El Insan is severely impacted due to the lack of aid, treatments, comprehensive and specialized foods, assistive tools, means of communication, and suitable furniture for work and equipped large tents to carry. This undoubtedly requires reliable amounts of health, nutrition and hygiene supplies.”