The World Food Programme (WFP) has issued an urgent warning that the Gaza Strip is facing catastrophic hunger, stressing that food aid must be delivered on a massive and immediate scale to prevent further loss of life amid Israel’s ongoing blockade and bombardment.

In a statement released late Monday, the UN agency said the situation in Gaza has deteriorated to the point where millions of people are now on the brink of starvation, describing the humanitarian conditions as “tragic beyond measure.”

“Humanitarian efforts must advance to save lives in Gaza, not retreat,” the WFP said, calling for a rapid escalation of food assistance to reassure the population that they will not be left to die of hunger.

The WFP’s plea comes as Gaza enters its second year under complete siege, where the Israeli occupation continues to block or severely restrict aid convoys, fuel, and essential supplies. Entire neighborhoods have been flattened, farmlands destroyed, and bakeries and food warehouses repeatedly targeted by Israeli airstrikes — leaving the enclave’s 2.3 million residents struggling to find even a single meal per day.

The WFP underscored that humanitarian access must be “safe, sustained, and unhindered”, demanding that aid workers be allowed to deliver food throughout the Strip without Israeli interference. It said that any delay or obstruction in delivering supplies would further endanger civilians — especially children, nursing mothers, and the elderly, who are the most vulnerable to malnutrition and disease.

Local aid groups report that famine-like conditions have already spread across northern Gaza, where families survive on animal feed, wild herbs, or contaminated water. UN assessments estimate that over 80 percent of Gaza’s population faces severe food insecurity, a direct result of Israel’s collective punishment and continued military aggression.

Humanitarian officials and rights organizations have repeatedly condemned Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon of war, accusing it of violating international humanitarian law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits targeting civilians and obstructing relief efforts.

“The people of Gaza have endured unimaginable suffering — displacement, bombardment, disease, and hunger,” a WFP field officer said. “They don’t need promises or statements. They need food — now.”

As winter approaches and fuel reserves run dry, the WFP warned that without an immediate and large-scale surge in aid deliveries, Gaza could witness a full-blown famine — one that would be both entirely preventable and morally indefensible.

Despite the desperate appeals from the UN and humanitarian agencies, Israel continues to impose restrictions on border crossings, including Rafah and Kerem Shalom, where aid convoys face long inspections, arbitrary rejections, and targeted attacks on delivery routes.

Palestinian officials have called on the international community to hold Israel accountable for what they described as “deliberate starvation crimes” and to force the opening of humanitarian corridors into all parts of Gaza.

For now, the people of Gaza continue to wait — hungry, besieged, and forgotten — while the world debates their right to eat. (ILKHA)