UN warns 2.1 million in Gaza face starvation amid blockade

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has called for an end to the ongoing blockade on the Gaza Strip, now entering its ninth consecutive week, warning that the lives of 2.1 million civilians are at severe risk.

OCHA confirmed that humanitarian stockpiles are nearing exhaustion as the comprehensive Israeli blockade on Gaza enters its third month.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reported that humanitarian aid and supplies have not entered the Gaza Strip for over nine weeks now (since 2nd March 2025), when the Israeli authorities imposed a siege. As a result, basic humanitarian supplies, including food, fuel, medical aid and vaccines for children, are rapidly running out; UNRWA flour and food parcels have run out and over one third of essential medical supplies are already out of stock.

Palestinian girls eat hot food from rations provided at a charity kitchen set up at the Islamic University campus in Gaza City. AFP

"This is having a devastating impact on the population, particularly on vulnerable groups including children, women and the elderly,” UNRWA added.

The agency warned that the continued blockade would cause irreversible harm to countless lives, adding that thousands of aid trucks are ready to enter Gaza and that its teams on the ground are prepared to scale up operations as soon as access is granted.

WAM