A senior UN official has warned that famine is once again threatening Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, as Israel’s 19-month war and ongoing closure of all crossings have plunged the region into its most severe humanitarian crisis yet.

Jonathan Fowler, Director of Communications for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), described the situation in Gaza as “akin to the horrors of the Day of Judgment,” lacking even the most basic standards of humanity. In a press interview on Wednesday, Fowler condemned Israel’s blockade, which has blocked food aid and supplies for over 50 days, accusing the state of using starvation as a weapon in its “war of extermination.”

“The famine in Gaza is entirely an Israeli political decision,” Fowler stated, emphasizing that the crisis is not complex but starkly clear. He noted that Palestinians in the Strip are left with nothing to eat due to the deliberate prevention of humanitarian aid.

Fowler criticized Israel’s “stifling blockade” for barring all aid from entering Gaza, despite repeated international calls to lift the restrictions, which he said have been ignored. He labeled the blockade and the global community’s failure to address it a “real scandal.”

The UN official underscored that if aid were permitted, it would reach those in need, but Israel’s unyielding restrictions continue to exacerbate the crisis, pushing Gaza into what he called the worst phase of its humanitarian emergency since the war began. (ILKHA)