The head of the World Health Organization has emphasized the critical need for preventing famine in Gaza by opening up more land crossings into the strip. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted that while recent efforts to deliver food by air and sea are appreciated, only the expansion of land crossings will facilitate large-scale deliveries to avert famine.
Ghebreyesus expressed deep concern over the alarming malnutrition rates among children in northern Gaza, with up to 16% of children under age 5 now being malnourished. He pointed out that children are succumbing to the combined effects of malnutrition, disease, and inadequate access to water and sanitation facilities.
The WHO chief painted a grim picture of the situation, noting that households in Gaza are already skipping meals daily, and adults are sacrificing their own meals to ensure children have enough to eat.
Ghebreyesus made a direct appeal to Israel, urging the country to open more crossings and expedite the entry and distribution of essential supplies such as water, food, and medical aid into Gaza. He also called for the immediate release of hostages and a ceasefire to alleviate the humanitarian crisis.
In response to these pleas, Col. Elad Goren of Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) countered that the primary challenge lies not in opening additional crossings but in effectively distributing aid to the people in Gaza. Goren criticized international aid organizations for their purported lack of capacity and failure to take concrete steps to enhance aid distribution across the region.
The contrasting perspectives between the WHO and Israeli officials underscore the complex and urgent nature of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the need for coordinated efforts to address food insecurity and malnutrition remains paramount.
