UN World Food Programme chief warns of ‘catastrophic famine’ in Gaza

The director of the United Nations World Food Programme Cindy McCain said in an interview to CBS News on Sunday that Gaza could be “on the brink” of famine amid Israel’s war on the besieged Palestinian territory.

“We’re looking at possibly being on the brink of famine in this region,” McCain said, calling for an immediate increase in humanitarian aid being sent to Gaza. “It’s a massive, catastrophic event that is occurring, and it will cross regions as it happens. With that comes disease and everything else that you can imagine.”

McCain’s comments came in response to a question about a recent statement by the United Nations Children’s Fund, that warns of a “catastrophic nutrition crisis” among children in Gaza.

“We project that over the next few months, child wasting, the most life-threatening form of malnutrition in children, could increase by nearly 30% in Gaza,” the agency said on Wednesday.

The World Health Organisation defines child wasting as a condition in which a child is too thin for his or her height, due to rapid weight loss or the failure to gain weight. Though severe child wasting leads to an increased chance of death it is treatable.

The agency warned that the public health crisis in Gaza is being worsened by the forced shutdown...

Read more