UNITED NATIONS, March 18. /TASS/. At least 1,100,000 people in the Gaza Strip have exhausted their food stocks and are on the brink of a catastrophic famine, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

"More than half of all Palestinians in Gaza, 1.1 million people, have completely exhausted their food supplies, and are facing catastrophic hunger. According to the reports, Palestinians in Gaza are enduring horrifying levels of hunger and suffering," he said. "I call on the Israeli authorities to ensure complete and unfettered access for humanitarian goods throughout Gaza and for the international community to fully support our humanitarian efforts," he emphasized.

The UN chief pointed out that "this is the highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger" ever recorded. "This is an entirely manmade disaster, and the [UN] report makes clear that it can be halted. Today's report is Exhibit A for the need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire," Guterres said.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 240 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians before the crisis, and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes have also been reported on the West Bank.