A top UN official has issued a stark warning that there is a rapidly closing “narrow window” to prevent famine from spreading further across Gaza. United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher called on Israel to allow unimpeded aid delivery into the territory, stating that the opportunity to avert famine in central and southern Gaza will likely close by the end of September. This comes as a global hunger monitor reports that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are already experiencing or at risk of famine.
Israel, which halted all aid for 11 weeks from March until mid-May, asserts it is facilitating increased humanitarian efforts. The Israeli defence agency COGAT stated that over the past week, aid from more than 1,900 trucks, mostly carrying food, was distributed within Gaza, vowing to continue facilitating aid for civilians “not Hamas.” However, international agencies maintain that the current level of aid is insufficient to meet the catastrophic need.
The warning coincides with a renewed Israeli military offensive in and around Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban center. Israeli forces, now just a few kilometers from the city center, have issued evacuation warnings to civilians and have bombed high-rise buildings it claims are being used by Hamas—an accusation the militant group denies and for which Israel did not provide public evidence. Overnight strikes killed 14 people, including in a school sheltering displaced Palestinians.
Compounding the crisis, the Israeli military has warned Gaza City’s civilians to evacuate to the south, including the city of Khan Younis. This directive orders people to move into areas that are already overwhelmed, with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in cramped tent encampments along the coast with severely limited access to food, water, and medical care.
