GENEVA, June 5. /TASS/. More than 90% of families in the Gaza Strip lack the cash needed to buy what little food remains available in the markets, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.
"Meat, dairy, vegetables and fruit are nearly absent from people’s diets, and eggs have once again disappeared from the market," the statement reads.
OCHA points out that "supplies continue to dwindle, as what is allowed into Gaza is merely a trickle." In particular, about 250,000 meals were distributed in Gaza every day this week, down from over a million in late April.
According to the Gaza government, some 500 trucks carrying humanitarian aid should arrive in the enclave every day in order to satisfy the basic needs of local residents. On May 18, the Israeli army announced the start of military activities in the northern and southern part of Gaza as part of Operation Gideon’s Chariots. On May 19, the Israeli authorities announced that they would allow basic food supplies to Gaza to address the threat of famine in the enclave.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) initaitive, about 1.95 mln people in Gaza are facing food shortages, while over 133,000 are starving. "With the announced expansion of military operations throughout the Gaza Strip, the persistent inability of humanitarian agencies to access populations in dire need, an anticipated escalation in hostilities, and the continued mass displacement of people, the risk of famine in the Gaza Strip is not just possible - it is increasingly likely," the IPC warned.