The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has sounded the alarm over the catastrophic humanitarian conditions facing women and girls in the Gaza Strip, warning that nearly one million are suffering from starvation, violence, and abuse as Israel’s siege enters its tenth month.

In a statement released on Saturday, UNRWA said the ongoing blockade and military assault have forced women and girls into increasingly dangerous survival strategies, including venturing outside in desperate search of food and water despite the grave risk of being killed.

“Women and girls are forced to adopt increasingly dangerous survival strategies like venturing out in search of food and water at the extreme risk of being killed,” the agency warned in its social media remarks.

The humanitarian body stressed that the spread of hunger in Gaza has reached alarming levels, urging immediate international action. UNRWA called for Israel’s blockade on Gaza to be lifted and for large-scale humanitarian aid to be allowed into the besieged territory without restrictions.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s war and blockade on Gaza have devastated the enclave’s population, leaving nearly the entire population dependent on humanitarian assistance. Aid groups have repeatedly warned that women and children bear the heaviest burden, facing not only hunger but also heightened risks of violence, exploitation, and abuse amid the collapse of Gaza’s social and health systems.

“Hunger is spreading fast in Gaza,” UNRWA said, underscoring the urgency of sustained humanitarian access to save lives and prevent further atrocities. (ILKHA)