The World Food Programme (WFP) Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, Corinne Fleischer, has warned of the increasing challenges facing humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip as winter approaches and violence against humanitarian workers escalates, hampering WFP’s efforts to tackle famine.
During a press conference in New York, the UN official noted that about two million people live on only 11 percent of the territory, which has led to severe overcrowding in makeshift camps and on the beaches of Gaza, where 60 to 70 people live in classrooms that usually accommodate 20 to 30 people.
The deteriorating security situation has led to the evacuation of key community warehouses and kitchens, limiting WFP’s ability to distribute food aid, she said, adding that the number of people reached last month was much lower than usual.
She called for increased crossing points and streamlining humanitarian operations to restore the capacity to assist those in need.
Separately, a UN chief warned that the inability to educate Palestinian children in Gaza due to Israeli attacks could lead to “the loss of an entire generation.”
