Elizabeth Funnell, CAFOD country representative for the Middle East, said:
“Families in Gaza are starving whilst lifesaving food remains blocked at the border by Israeli authorities.
“There must be an immediate end to the blockade on Gaza and the sustained unfettered delivery of aid at scale to those in desperate need – and in line with humanitarian principles. The international community must act now – every hour of delay costs lives.
“Our partners have shown extraordinary resilience and unwavering commitment to their work for more than 18 months of crisis but in recent weeks it’s clear that levels of desperation are rising. Partners are talking more often about experiencing hunger”
CAFOD partner staff, working to respond to the needs of their communities, are part of this tragedy. They describe the worsening situation:
“We lack food and fuel and are even struggling to find bread. Food reserves, even canned goods, are now almost exhausted. Water, especially clean water, is nearly impossible to access.”
“It’s scary, at night we do not sleep, no place that is safe, no food and water is minimal and far from people.”
“Malnutrition is rife in the population. Resilience is strong but people 'cannot pour from an empty cup'.”
CAFOD partners continue to provide critical support, including healthcare, limited hot meals and psychosocial support.
The latest findings by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), supported by the UN, warned one in five people in Gaza face starvation, with the entire population in acute food insecurity. More than 116,000 metric tonnes of food assistance – enough to feed 1 million people for up to four months - is already positioned in aid corridors. UNWRA say that the humanitarian crisis is beyond imagination and Israel’s denial of aid amounts to using hunger as a ‘weapon of war'.
Notes to editors
CAFOD is the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and part of Caritas Internationalis, working with communities across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America to fight poverty and injustice, including those worst hit by climate change. The agency works with people in need, regardless of race, gender, religion or nationality.