Gaza: Six Months Into the Conflict, More Than 1 Million People Are on Brink of Famine

Action Against Hunger Launches New Supplementary Nutrition Program, Reiterates Calls for an Immediate and Permanent Ceasefire

April 5, 2024 /3BL/ - It has been six months since the start of the conflict in Gaza and one million Palestinians continue to face the imminent threat of famine. 85% of Gazan people have been displaced from their homes.

With one in three children acutely malnourished and more than half of the population at immediate risk of famine, Action Against Hunger is launching a nutrition program in Gaza that aims to provide children and breastfeeding women with supplementary nutrients every month.

“Despite extremely challenging security conditions, since the start of the conflict, Action Against Hunger has reached over 800,000 people in Gaza with food, water, and sanitation and hygiene services. Sadly, even more support is needed since the catastrophe in Gaza is worsening,” said Dr. Charles E. Owubah, Action Against Hunger CEO.  “We can prevent the worst outcome—famine—with greater humanitarian access to people in need, additional funding, and an immediate and permanent ceasefire. We must do everything we can to alleviate this unimaginable suffering.”

81% of households lack access to safe and clean water and in northern Gaza, people go days and nights without eating. Action Against Hunger staff in Gaza have been direct witnesses to the overcrowded shelters and the astonishing number of children alone and trapped with nowhere safe to go.

“Malnutrition, dehydration, and starvation target the most vulnerable,” said Natalia Anguera, Action Against Hunger’s Head of Operations for the Middle East. “The risk is much higher for young children. Women in Gaza are struggling to breastfeed. Any effort to ensure access to safe drinking water should also include efforts to supply ready-to-use formula for infants who are not breastfed.”

In Gaza, 75% of solid waste is dumped, with no controls or sanitation services. The streets are flooded with sewage water, conditions that are ripe for an explosion of deadly diseases such as cholera.

The current threat and escalation of violence in Rafah gravely jeopardizes humanitarian operations. “The number of humanitarian staff killed—at least 196 deaths since the start of the conflict—prevents the assurance of safety and access for humanitarian workers to carry out their jobs. The safeguarding of aid workers is not only vital to respond to the pressing needs of the population but is also a fundamental obligation under International Humanitarian Law,” says Owubah.

About Action Against Hunger’s Work in Gaza

Action Against Hunger has worked in Gaza since 2005 and the West Bank since 2002. Since October 2023, we have been delivering humanitarian assistance in Gaza that includes distributing fresh and dry food, hot meals, and hygiene kits; trucking clean water to communities; connecting people with shelters; and providing assistance with solid waste management.

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 28 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 55 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.

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Photos by Photo by Mohammed Abed/AFP and Action Against Hunger