The United Nations has issued a stark warning about the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, urging for the immediate, safe, and sustained delivery of aid as hunger and malnutrition reach unprecedented levels under the ongoing Israeli siege.

Speaking at a press briefing late Monday, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric highlighted the growing number of Palestinians arriving at hospitals and medical centers in critical condition due to severe malnutrition. “Amid bombardment, displacement, and destruction in Gaza, alarming reports continue to emerge of individuals suffering from acute malnutrition arriving at medical facilities in extremely poor health,” Dujarric said.

UN humanitarian agencies operating in Gaza have reiterated that living conditions in the territory are becoming “nearly uninhabitable,” with more than two million Palestinians trapped under siege, facing famine, relentless airstrikes, and mass displacement. Civilians, they warned, must be protected, and uninterrupted humanitarian access must be guaranteed if a full-scale famine is to be averted.

The situation is made even more desperate by the fact that approximately 87.7% of Gaza is now under evacuation orders or declared as evacuation zones by Israeli forces. This has effectively fragmented the territory, cutting off 2.1 million people from critical services, including food, water, shelter, and medical care.

Dujarric reported that over 1.3 million Palestinians are in urgent need of basic shelter and relief items, as extreme heat, high humidity, and overcrowding add to the suffering. Makeshift shelters and plastic tents, often the only refuge left for many, are being repeatedly dismantled or destroyed, leaving families exposed to harsh weather and disease.

To further complicate matters, the UN spokesperson revealed that no shelter materials have been permitted into Gaza for more than four months, while the fuel shortage continues to paralyze relief operations, affecting everything from water desalination and hospital generators to food distribution and transportation.

With Gaza’s population facing what experts describe as “a catastrophic convergence of famine, siege, and war,” the UN reiterated its urgent appeal for the lifting of blockades and full, safe humanitarian access.

Despite international calls for a ceasefire and humanitarian corridors, aid convoys remain severely restricted, often targeted or turned away at crossings. The UN has called upon all parties, particularly the Israeli authorities and those with influence over them, to uphold their obligations under international law and ensure that life-saving assistance can reach those who need it most.

As the situation continues to spiral, the world watches as a man-made disaster unfolds in Gaza, with the risk of a mass starvation crisis now dangerously imminent. (ILKHA)