Hunger crisis deepens in global hotspots as famine risk rises: UN
The 'Hunger Hotspots' report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) blames conflict, economic shocks and climate-related hazards for conditions in the worst-hit areas.
The report predicts food crises in the next five months. It called for investment and help to ensure aid delivery, which it said was being undermined by insecurity and funding gaps.
'This report is a red alert. We know where hunger is rising and we know who is at risk,' said WFP executive director Cindy McCain. 'Without funding and access, we cannot save lives.'
For famine to be declared, at least 20% of the population in an area must be suffering extreme food shortages, with 30% of children acutely malnourished and two people out of every 10,000 dying daily from starvation or malnutrition and disease.
In Sudan, where famine was confirmed in 2024, the crisis is expected to persist due to conflict and displacement, with almost 25-million people at risk.
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Daily Maverick
3 days ago
- Daily Maverick
Israeli fire kills 67 people seeking aid in Gaza, medics say, as hunger worsens
Medics say dozens killed and wounded waiting for aid trucks Israeli military says it will expand operations in Gaza Hostage families fear their relatives will be put at risk Pope Leo calls for end to 'barbarity of war' after church strike By Nidal al-Mughrabi The ministry said dozens of people were also wounded in the incident in northern Gaza. It was one of the highest reported death tolls among repeated recent cases in which aid seekers have been killed, including 36 on Saturday. Another six people were killed near another aid site in the south, it said. Israel's military said its troops had fired warning shots towards a crowd of thousands of people in northern Gaza on Sunday to remove what it said was 'an immediate threat'. It said initial findings suggested reported casualty figures were inflated, and it 'certainly does not intentionally target humanitarian aid trucks'. It did not immediately comment on the incident in the south. The U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) said that shortly after entering Gaza, a WFP convoy of 25 trucks carrying food aid encountered 'massive crowds of hungry civilians' who then came under gunfire. 'WFP reiterates that any violence involving civilians seeking humanitarian aid is completely unacceptable,' it said in a statement. A Hamas official told Reuters that the militant group was angered over the mounting deaths and the hunger crisis in the enclave, and that this could badly affect ceasefire talks underway in Qatar. In total, health authorities said 90 people had been killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes across the enclave on Sunday. DISPLACED GAZANS EVACUATE After Israel's military dropped leaflets urging people to evacuate from neighbourhoods in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah, residents said Israeli planes struck three houses in the area. Dozens of families began leaving their homes, carrying some of their belongings. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans have been sheltering in the Deir al-Balah area. Israel's military said it had not entered the districts subject to the evacuation order during the current conflict and that it was continuing 'to operate with great force to destroy the enemy's capabilities and terrorist infrastructure in the area'. Israeli sources have said the reason the army has so far stayed out is because they suspect Hamas might be holding hostages there. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in captivity in Gaza are believed to still be alive. Hostage families demanded an explanation from the army. 'Can anyone (promise) to us that this decision will not come at the cost of losing our loved ones?' the families said in a statement. ACCELERATING STARVATION Much of Gaza has been reduced to a wasteland during more than 21 months of war and there are fears of accelerating starvation. Palestinian health officials said hundreds of people could soon die as hospitals were inundated with patients suffering from dizziness and exhaustion due to the scarcity of food and a collapse in aid deliveries. 'We warn that hundreds of people whose bodies have wasted away are at risk of imminent death due to hunger,' said the health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas. The United Nations also said on Sunday that civilians were starving and needed an urgent influx of aid. Pope Leo called for an end to the 'barbarity of war' as he spoke of his profound pain over an Israeli strike on the sole Catholic church in Gaza that killed three people on Thursday. Gaza residents said it was becoming impossible to find essential food such as flour. The health ministry said at least 71 children had died of malnutrition during the war, and 60,000 others were suffering from symptoms of malnutrition. Later on Sunday, it said 18 people have died of hunger in the past 24 hours. 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TimesLIVE
3 days ago
- TimesLIVE
Israel issues new evacuation orders in central Gaza as hunger worsens
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