Key events
It is ‘very evident’ there is not enough food in Gaza, WFP director says
We are restarting our live coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza. The director of the UN World Food Programme, Cindy McCain, said it is “very evident” there isn’t enough food in Gaza, adding that starvation was clearly under way in the territory.
Her comments were made to the Associated Press during a visit to Gaza earlier this week and echo the declaration last Friday of widespread famine in Gaza made by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.
“I personally met mothers and children who were starving in Gaza,” McCain said. “It is real and it is happening now.”
McCain said she spoke with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and claimed he is “concerned” about the issue. In the past, Netanyahu has denied the existence of famine in Gaza and said the claims about starvation are a propaganda campaign launched by Hamas and spread by the media.
“We agreed that we must immediately redouble our efforts to get more humanitarian aid in. Access and security for our convoys is critical,” McCain said.
Netanyahu has presided over a government that has been starving Gaza by limiting the amount of aid coming into the territory. Charities say there are ongoing obstructions in being able to collect and distribute aid.
In March and April Gaza was under total siege, with no food entering. Israel justified what was widely seen as the collective punishment of the civilian population as a tactic to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages.
In mid-May Netanyahu said shipments would restart because of international pressure over a “starvation crisis”. But the amount of food and basic essentials let into the territory is still woefully inadequate and many Palestinian people have been killed while trying to collect aid.
Stay with us as we give you the latest updates on Gaza throughout the day.
