‘Manmade Famine’ in Gaza Can Be Reversed, Says UNRWA Chief Philippe Lazzarini
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini described life in Gaza as “an inferno,” caused by total impunity and a lack of empathy amid the ongoing conflict. He highlighted the emergence of a “manmade famine” in Gaza, which he said could be reversed if there is sufficient political will to open the borders and allow aid organizations to operate freely.
Lazzarini, currently visiting Cairo, renewed his urgent call for an immediate ceasefire to enable large-scale humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza. He emphasized that UNRWA alone has enough food and supplies currently stranded in Egypt and Jordan to meet the critical needs of the entire Gaza population for three months.
The UNRWA chief’s remarks come amid worsening conditions in Gaza, where half a million people face catastrophic food insecurity, and many suffer from starvation and malnutrition due to continued restrictions on aid and blockades.
“The latest plague is a manmade famine,” Lazzarini wrote on social media platform X. “It can be reversed: all it takes to change course is political will, open the gates & let us work.”
Aid agencies continue to warn that without urgent ceasefire and humanitarian access, the famine and humanitarian disaster in Gaza will deepen, causing more deaths and widespread suffering.
Source: UN News, UNRWA, Al Jazeera, X (Twitter)
