Man-made famine in Gaza ‘can be reversed with political will,’ UN agency says

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Monday that famine in the Gaza Strip is man-made and can be reversed through "political will."

“In Gaza, all it would take to reverse the man-made famine is political will and to lift the ban on UNRWA supplies,” the agency said on the US social media company X.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported Aug. 22 that famine had taken hold in northern Gaza and warned it could spread as Israel’s blockade continues.

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, 387 people, including 138 children, died of severe malnutrition and starvation in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.

UNRWA stressed that it has been calling for an immediate ceasefire for more than 700 days, as it renewed its call.

“Our humanitarian aid -- banned by the Israeli Authorities -- would save lives,” it added.

Israel has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians in a brutal offensive in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.