More than 17 million people in Yemen are going hungry, including over 1 million children, UN says
Tom Fletcher told the UN Security Council that the food security crisis in the Arab world's poorest country, which is beset by civil war, has been accelerating since late 2023.
The number of people going hungry could climb to over 18 million by September, he warned, and the number of children with acute malnutrition could surge to 1.2 million early next year, 'leaving many at risk of permanent physical and cognitive damage.'
According to experts who produce the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a leading international authority that ranks the severity of hunger, more than 17,000 Yemenis are in the three worst categories of food insecurity — crisis stage or worse.
Fletcher said the UN hasn't seen the current level of deprivation since before a UN-brokered truce in early 2022. He noted that it is unfolding as global funding for humanitarian aid is plummeting, which means reductions or cuts in food. According to the U.N., as of mid-May, the U.N.'s $2.5 billion humanitarian appeal for Yemen this year had received just $222 million, just 9%.
Yemen has been embroiled in civil war since 2014, when Iranian-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital of Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized government into exile in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led coalition intervened months later and has been battling the rebels since 2015 to try and restore the government.
The war has devastated Yemen, created one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters, and turned into a stalemated proxy conflict. More than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, have been killed.
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First Post
2 hours ago
- First Post
Can Israel's ‘tactical pause' and airdrops help tackle the hunger crisis in Gaza?
A mass starvation is unfolding in Gaza, with a UN agency noting that one in five children is malnourished and cases are increasing every day. Amid this dire situation, Israel has announced a 'tactical pause' in fighting and also allowed for airdrops of aid to the hungry people. But will it be enough? read more Children and youths gather as a C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft flies over during an aiddrop on the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday, July 27. Two Jordanian and one Emirati plane on dropped 25 tonnes of humanitarian aid over the Gaza Strip, Jordanian state television reported on July 27. AFP 'We are expected to save lives while our own are slowly being consumed. This is not just about hunger, but about the slow destruction of life, ability, and humanity.' This remark rightly sums up the situation in Gaza where everyone and anyone is starving. In fact, the World Health Organisation (Who) has warned that malnutrition has reached 'alarming levels' in Gaza with rates on a 'dangerous trajectory', while UN's Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) has noted that one in five children in Gaza City is malnourished and cases are increasing every day. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Amid this situation, on Sunday morning (July 27), Israel announced it would begin a daily 'humanitarian pause' in three densely populated areas of Gaza as well as announced the resumption of airdropped aid. Following the announcement, Jordanian and Emirati planes began dropping food into Gaza. But the question is — is it enough? Will it help alleviate the hunger crisis unfolding in the besieged enclave? How bad is the situation in Gaza? Even before the war began following the attacks on October 7, 2024, the situation in Gaza was not too good — the enclave has often been referred to as Israel's open-air prison. But ever since the war broke out, a humanitarian crisis has been unfolding in the enclave. As a result of the war, thousands of Gazans have been displaced; forced to live in the streets or makeshift tents. As Gaza's infrastructure has been destroyed, access to water and power has become more difficult. Moreover, the delivery of food aid has been interrupted as a result of the war and restrictions laid down by the Israeli military. In fact, before the conflict, some 3,000 aid and commercial trucks would enter Gaza every week. This number has drastically plummeted since then. Palestinians crowd at a lentil soup distribution point in Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip. AFP As a result, starvation, extreme hunger and malnourishment have taken root in Gaza. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), 90,000 women and children are in urgent need of treatment for malnutrition, while one in three people are going without food for days. More than 100 aid and human rights groups warned last week that 'mass starvation' was spreading. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On July 23, the Palestinian health ministry announced that the death toll due to hunger in the past five days had risen to 43, whereas, the Who announced that more than 50 children have died of malnutrition since March. Doctors and nurses are struggling with the food crisis in Gaza. Doctors describe their battle to keep up with the number of patients coming in, seeking treatment. As Dr Ahmad al-Farra, the director of paediatrics at Nasser medical complex, told _The Guardia_n, 'Our malnutrition ward in the hospital is extremely overcrowded. Due to the large number of cases, some children are forced to sleep on the floor.' Dr Nick Maynard, a British surgeon who is volunteering at the Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza recounts the scenes unfolding at the facility. 'The expression 'skin and bones' doesn't do it justice. I saw the severity of malnutrition that I would not have thought possible in a civilized world. This is man-made starvation being used as a weapon of war and it will lead to many more deaths unless food and aid is let in immediately,' he told the New York Times. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A Palestinian woman holds her five-month-old daughter, who is malnourished, according to medics, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters Doctors also note that the lack of food has resulted in many to die of other conditions, as they were too weak to fend it off. Starvation is causing more mothers to suffer miscarriages or give birth prematurely, to malnourished babies with weakened immune systems and medical abnormalities. 'The result is a rise in infections, dehydration and even immune collapse in infants,' said Dr Hani al-Faleet, a paediatric consultant at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza. 'The immediate cause of death in some of these cases is simple: The baby doesn't get enough to eat, and neither does the mother.' The situation is so dire that even journalists reporting from the ground are now struggling to stay alive. Some have even had to cut back on their coverage of the war, now in its 22nd month, with one journalist saying 'we have no energy left due to hunger'. The hunger crisis has affected virtually everyone in the Gaza Strip, with the UN describing their staff as 'walking corpses'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD So, what has Israel announced now? Facing intense international criticism, Israel, on Sunday, announced a limited pause in fighting in three populated areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day as part of a series of steps that it says would give the United Nations and other aid agencies secure land routes to tackle a deepening hunger crisis. The Israel Defense Forces said it would begin a tactical pause in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three areas of the territory with large populations, to 'increase the scale of humanitarian aid' entering the Gaza Strip. It said the pause would begin every day at 10 am local time, effective Sunday, and continue until further notice. A pro-Palestinian activist holds a placard as they protest over hunger crisis in Gaza, along Sea Point Promenade in Cape Town, South Africa. Reuters And following the announcement, airdrops began in the region with Israel, Jordan, and the UAE airdropping 28 aid packages. The Jordanian military said its planes, working with the United Arab Emirates, had delivered 25 tonnes of aid in three parachute drops over Gaza on Sunday. Moreover, truckloads of flour were also seen arriving in northern Gaza through the Zikim area crossing from Israel, according to AFP journalists. Will this improve the situation in Gaza? The answer, according to aid agencies, is that it won't be enough. NGOs note that these steps may help ease access but as mass starvation is already underway, much more is needed. Groups have called for a full ceasefire in order to get civilians the help they need. UNICEF spokesman Joe English told CNN: 'We do airdrops in places around the world but it works where there are remote communities in big, wide open spaces. That's not the case in the Gaza Strip.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Other aid agencies also noted that Israel's move to allow for aid drops is merely a 'grotesque distraction' from the horror that is unfolding on the ground level. Ciarán Donnelly, of the International Rescue Committee, said aid drops could 'never deliver the volume or the quality' of aid needed. Humanitarian aid is dropped on the Gaza Strip as pictured from a position along the border in southern Israel on July 27. AFP The head of the UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, also noted that airdrops are 'expensive, inefficient, and can even kill starving civilians' if they go awry. 'Driving aid through is much easier, more effective, faster, cheaper & safer. It's more dignified for the people of Gaza.' Moreover, it is unclear about how long it will maintain the pause, allowing for the airdrops. Humanitarians have said consistency is key to their work. Oxfam's regional policy chief Bushra Khalidi, welcomed Israel's move but noted that it wasn't sufficient. Echoing other humanitarian officials who are sceptical about the airdrops being able to tackle the hunger crisis, she told AFP, 'Starvation won't be solved by a few trucks or airdrops. What's needed is a real humanitarian response: ceasefire, full access, all crossings open and a steady, large-scale flow of aid into Gaza. We need a permanent ceasefire, a complete lifting of the siege.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What's been the reaction on the ground so far? It's only been one day since Israel announced the pause and allowing for airdrops, which means that it will take some more time before one can see any noticeable difference. However, The Guardian noted that the price of flour had dipped 20 per cent overnight. Palestinian walk carrying sacks of flour near Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on July 27, 2025, after trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered into northern Gaza coming from the Zikim border crossing. AFP Doctors have also warned that resolving this crisis is far from easy. People who are suffering from acute malnutrition need specialised treatment, as they can develop refeeding syndrome if they resume eating normally after a prolonged period of hunger. 'All of these folks who have been deprived for so long, we worry about the complications that they may have developed,' Dr Thaer Ahmad, a doctor who has worked on medical missions in Gaza, told The Guardian. With inputs from agencies
Time of India
16 hours ago
- Time of India
10-hour pause, but no peace: Gaza reels from famine, 38 dead; aid airdropped from sky
Top developments: Aid airdrops, tactical pause, and grim toll in Gaza As Gaza's humanitarian crisis worsens amid ongoing war, a mix of symbolic gestures and limited policy shifts is playing out on the ground. With global criticism mounting over the scale of civilian casualties and the near-collapse of aid operations, Israel has begun a daily "tactical pause" in parts of Gaza to allow humanitarian deliveries, though deadly strikes continue. Meanwhile, Jordan and the UAE have stepped in with emergency airdrops. Here's a breakdown of the latest key developments: Jordan, UAE drop 25 tonnes of aid over Gaza Two Jordanian planes and one from the UAE carried out airdrops on Sunday, delivering 25 tonnes of food and humanitarian aid, according to the Jordanian military. The drops targeted multiple areas across Gaza, responding to warnings of looming famine and rising deaths linked to hunger. Israel begins daily 'tactical pause' in fighting The Israeli military has launched a daily 10-hour 'tactical pause' in three areas: Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, and Muwasi (10 am to 8 pm local time), to allow movement of aid convoys. However, Israeli airstrikes continued even during these hours, killing at least 38 Palestinians, including 23 people reportedly waiting for aid. Gaza's health ministry said a woman and her four children were killed in one such strike on an apartment in Gaza City. Strikes near aid sites raise alarm In Nuseirat, 13 people, including four children, were killed near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution point, according to Awda Hospital. GHF denied any incident at its facility. The Israeli military said it was reviewing the reports. Famine deepens amid aid bottlenecks The World Food Programme estimates one-third of Gaza's population goes days without eating, with half a million people on the brink of famine. Aid access was cut off entirely for nearly 2.5 months after a deadly incident in March. Since May, only 69 trucks per day have entered Gaza, far below the 500–600 daily that UN agencies say are necessary. Israel has endorsed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) as a new aid channel bypassing the UN, but rights groups say over 1,000 people have died seeking food, and distribution remains chaotic and dangerous. Medical supplies, food critically low Gaza's health ministry called for an urgent 'flood' of aid, warning that hospitals and clinics are out of essential medicines and equipment. Dr Muneer al-Boursh said, 'Every delay is measured by another funeral.' UNICEF called the tactical pause an 'opportunity to save lives,' though the Norwegian Refugee Council said it was 'far from enough to meet the overwhelming needs.' Ceasefire talks break down again Peace talks have stalled, with both Israel and the US recalling negotiators from Qatar. Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawi dismissed the pause as a PR move, 'Israel is trying to change its image… but it will not escape punishment.' Israel insists it will not stop until Hamas surrenders, disarms, and goes into exile, terms Hamas has rejected. Death toll surges on both sides More than 59,700 Palestinians have been killed since October, according to Gaza's Health Ministry; over half are reportedly women and children. The Israeli military reports 898 soldiers killed since the start of ground operations. The conflict began after Hamas' October 7 attack, which killed 1,200 Israelis and resulted in 251 hostages taken, 50 remain in captivity, and many are believed dead.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Israel air drops humanitarian aid packages into Gaza
Israel said Saturday that it air dropped aid into the Gaza Strip and would open humanitarian corridors, as it faced growing international condemnation over the deepening hunger crisis in the Palestinian territory. Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza on March 2 after ceasefire talks broke down. In late May, it began allowing a small trickle of aid to resume. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Cybersecurity PGDM Product Management Data Science Digital Marketing Technology Public Policy Leadership Artificial Intelligence Operations Management healthcare MCA CXO MBA Healthcare Design Thinking Finance others Degree Others Management Data Analytics Data Science Project Management Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months MIT xPRO CERT-MIT xPRO PGC in Cybersecurity Starts on undefined Get Details Before Israel announced the delivery of seven aid packages, the United Arab Emirates had said it would restart aid drops and Britain said it would work with partners including Jordan to assist them. The decision to loosen the flow of aid came as the Palestinian civil defence agency said over 50 more Palestinians had been killed in Israeli strikes and shootings, some as they waited near aid distribution centres. The same day, Israeli troops boarded a boat carrying activists from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition as it attempted to approach Gaza from the sea and deliver a small quantity of supplies to the aid-starved population. Live Events The humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory has gravely deteriorated in recent days, with international NGOs warning of soaring malnutrition among children. On Telegram, the Israeli military announced it "carried out an airdrop of humanitarian aid as part of the ongoing efforts to allow and facilitate the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip". Earlier, Israel said humanitarian corridors for UN aid convoys to deliver "food and medicine" would also be designated. This would improve the humanitarian situation, and disprove "the false claim of deliberate starvation in the Gaza Strip", it added. Israel's foreign ministry posted on X that a "humanitarian pause" would apply to certain parts of Gaza on Sunday morning to facilitate the aid deliveries. Humanitarian chiefs are deeply sceptical that air drops can deliver enough food to tackle the deepening hunger crisis facing Gaza's more than two million inhabitants. They are instead demanding that Israel allow more overland convoys. But British Prime Minister Keir Starmer backed the idea, vowing to work with Jordan to restart air drops. Starmer's office said that in a call with his French and German counterparts the "prime minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance". The United Arab Emirates said it would resume air drops "immediately". "The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached a critical and unprecedented level," Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said in a post on X. "Air drops are resuming once more, immediately." - 'Starving civilians' - A number of Western and Arab governments carried out air drops in Gaza in 2024, when aid deliveries by land also faced Israeli restrictions, but many in the humanitarian community consider them ineffective. "Air drops will not reverse the deepening starvation," said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. "They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians." Israel's military insists it does not limit the number of trucks going into the Gaza Strip, and alleges that UN agencies and relief groups are not collecting the aid once it is inside the territory. But humanitarian organisations accuse the Israeli army of imposing excessive restrictions, while tightly controlling road access within Gaza. A separate aid operation is under way through the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, but it has faced fierce international criticism after Israeli fire killed hundreds of Palestinians near distribution points. - Naval blockade - On Saturday evening, the live feed on the Handala boat belonging to pro-Palestinian activist group Freedom Flotilla showed Israeli troops boarding the vessel. The soldiers moved in as the boat approached Gaza and three video livefeeds of the scene broadcasting online were cut minutes later. Israeli forces last month intercepted and boarded another boat run by the same group, the Madleen. Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli fire killed over 50 people on Saturday, including 14 killed in separate incidents near aid distribution centres. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. The Israeli campaign has killed 59,733 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
