Dubai: The United Nations World Food Programme confirmed today that humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip have become more difficult than ever, especially with the approach of winter.
“The increase in Israeli attacks on humanitarian workers is stifling efforts to prevent famine in the Gaza Strip, at a time when half a million people are living in catastrophic, famine-like conditions,” said Corinne Fleischer, WFP’s Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe.
Fleischer pointed out that humanitarian groups face several obstacles in their work inside the Strip, such as the destroyed roads that will become more difficult to move during the winter, in addition to the long waiting hours until obtaining an Israeli permit to move from one place to another.
She pointed out the severe overcrowding in the shelters, as nearly two million people live in about 11 percent of the area of the Strip.
She stressed that the past month witnessed an increase in Israeli evacuation orders and a dramatic deterioration in the security environment for humanitarian workers, which affected the programme’s ability to reach citizens and provide them with assistance.
She explained that the World Food Programme lost its third and last operating warehouse in the central region of the Strip, as a result of the Israeli evacuation orders, as the programme lost 5 community kitchens, in addition to 20 food distribution points.
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