'Strong likelihood' famine imminent in north Gaza, say food security experts
World
'Strong likelihood' famine imminent in north Gaza, say food security experts
LONDON/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - There is a "strong likelihood that famine is imminent in areas" of the northern Gaza Strip, a committee of global food security experts warned on Friday, as Israel pursues a military offensive against Palestinian militant group Hamas in the area.
"Immediate action, within days not weeks, is required from all actors who are directly taking part in the conflict, or have influence on its conduct, to avert and alleviate this catastrophic situation," the independent Famine Review Committee (FRC) said in a rare alert.
The warning comes just days ahead of a US deadline for Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face potential restrictions on US military aid.
Israel's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"If no effective action is taken by stakeholders with influence, the scale of this looming catastrophe is likely to dwarf anything we have seen so far in the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023," the FRC committee said.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that there are between 75,000 and 95,000 people still in northern Gaza.
The Famine Review Committee said that it could be "assumed that starvation, malnutrition, and excess mortality due to malnutrition and disease, are rapidly increasing" in north Gaza.
"Famine thresholds may have already been crossed or else will be in the near future," it said.
