UN warns that approximately 50% of Gaza's inhabitants are suffering from severe hunger due to the Israel-Gaza conflict

The deputy director of the UN World Food Programme, Carl Skau, has warned that half of the population in Gaza is starving due to ongoing fighting in the area. He stated that only a small fraction of the necessary supplies have been able to enter Gaza, leaving nine out of ten people without enough food every day. Skau explained that conditions in Gaza have made aid deliveries almost impossible. Israel has continued air strikes on Gaza in an effort to eliminate Hamas and bring Israeli hostages back home. The Israel Defense Forces spokesman, Lt Col Richard Hecht, expressed the belief that there is no alternative to these actions, although he acknowledged the pain caused to civilians. Skau emphasized that they are doing everything they can to deliver aid to Gaza, but movement in and out of the area has been heavily restricted since October 7. This restriction was put in place after Hamas fighters broke through Israel's perimeter fence and killed 1,200 people while taking 240 hostages. The health ministry run by Hamas claims that over 17,700 Gazans have been killed by Israel in their retaliatory campaign, including 7,000 children. Only one border crossing, Rafah, has been open, allowing limited aid to reach Gaza. Israel has agreed to open the Kerem Shalom crossing but only for the inspection of aid lorries, which will then go to Rafah to cross into Gaza. Skau described witnessing fear, chaos, and despair during his visit to Gaza, with hungry and desperate people at warehouses, distribution points, and overcrowded shelters. The WFP insists that a second border crossing is needed to meet the increasing demand for aid. In some areas, nine out of ten families go a full day and night without any food. People in Khan Younis, a city surrounded on two fronts by Israeli tanks, report dire conditions, with a lack of food and basic supplies. Dr. Ahmed Moghrabi of Nasser hospital in Khan Younis expressed his helplessness in not being able to provide sweets, fruits, or enough food for his three-year-old daughter. He revealed that they only eat rice once a day. The hospital has been overwhelmed with casualties from heavy air strikes, and the team has lost control. Israel claims that Hamas leaders are hiding in Khan Younis, possibly in an underground network of tunnels, and it is fighting to destroy the group's military capabilities. The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, accused the US of complicity in war crimes after it vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Out of the 15 Security Council members, 13 voted in favor of the resolution while the US voted against it and the UK abstained. Abbas held Washington responsible for the bloodshed in Gaza. The US ambassador to the UN defended the veto, stating that the resolution called for an unsustainable ceasefire that would leave Hamas in power and able to repeat its actions. A temporary ceasefire ended recently, during which 78 hostages were released by Hamas in exchange for 180 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. However, more than 100 hostages are still being held by Hamas. It was confirmed on Saturday that Israeli hostage Sahar Baruch, 25, had been killed.