According to a UN-backed study this week on food security, 1.1 million people in Gaza were facing extreme poverty and hunger, and it was predicted that a man-made famine in the north would occur between now and May.
More and more US lawmakers have also expressed their opinions. This week, President Biden was urged to think about severing arms supplies to Israel if it continues to impose restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza by a group of Democratic senators and almost seventy former US officials, diplomats, and military leaders.
Israel holds the UN accountable for its inability to provide assistance. Although the UN vehemently disagrees, Israel maintains that its drive to destroy Hamas has included attacks on police protecting aid convoys and checkpoint limitations.
In Manilla, I questioned Mr. Blinken about whether Gaza’s current state of security portended things to come. How was he going to persuade Israel to agree to his proposals?If Hamas capitulated, he argued, tomorrow might put a stop to the agony. However, he emphasized that additional humanitarian help needed to be permitted entry.In response to my inquiry, he stated that “100% of the population in Gaza is at severe levels of acute food insecurity,” marking the first time the US has endorsed a UN-backed initiative to combat hunger. It is the first time that a whole population has been categorized in that way.”
