Geneva, Aug 29 (V7N) — Despite a recent uptick in food aid reaching Gaza, hunger levels remain critically high and insufficient to prevent widespread malnutrition and starvation, World Food Program (WFP) Executive Director Cindy McCain said in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday.
 
Speaking via video link from Jerusalem, McCain said the agency is now able to deliver approximately 100 aid trucks per day into Gaza—an improvement compared to earlier weeks. However, this is still far below the 600 trucks per day that entered the enclave during last year's ceasefire period.
 
“We're getting a little bit more food in. We're moving in the right direction … but it's not nearly enough to do what we need to do to make sure that people are not malnourished and not starving,” McCain stated.
 
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global hunger monitoring body, released a report last Friday warning that around 514,000 people—roughly a quarter of Gaza’s population—are already enduring famine-level conditions in Gaza City and its surrounding areas.
 
Israeli authorities, however, dismissed the IPC findings, calling them biased and aligned with the interests of Hamas. The Israeli military's aid coordination office (COGAT) did not immediately comment on McCain’s remarks.
 
During her visit to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza this week, McCain witnessed firsthand the severe humanitarian crisis affecting displaced civilians, including women and children. She described the scene as “utter devastation,” adding, “It’s basically flattened, and we saw people who are very seriously hungry and malnourished.”
 
McCain emphasized the need for WFP trucks to have deep access into Gaza's interior, where vulnerable populations remain underserved. While a slight improvement in the inflow of commercial goods has led to marginal price drops, she noted that the vast majority of residents are still unable to afford basic food items.
 
Following a meeting with Israeli Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir on Wednesday, McCain expressed cautious optimism about improved access and safer delivery routes. She said she had asked for faster clearance procedures, fewer delays, and guaranteed safe passage for humanitarian convoys.
 
In a statement, the Israeli military reiterated its commitment to preventing famine and enabling aid delivery to civilians in Gaza.
 
However, the IPC report also warned that if conditions do not improve, famine could spread to central and southern regions of Gaza, including Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, by the end of September.
 
McCain described the IPC analysis as the “gold standard” in food insecurity assessments and called for a significant scale-up of aid operations to meet urgent humanitarian needs.
 
Israel has since asked IPC to retract the report, calling it “deeply flawed.” The IPC has yet to issue a formal response.
 
News Source: Reuters......
 
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