Latest news with #CatherineRussell
Middle East Eye
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
‘Nowhere is safe for children in Gaza,' says Unicef chief
Head of the UN Children's Fund Catherine Russell condemned on Friday the Israeli killing of children in Gaza, saying the world should be shocked by the death of 45 children in Israeli air strikes in just two days. The killing of children in Gaza is 'largely met with indifference'. 'More than 1 million children in Gaza are at risk of starvation. They are deprived of food, water and medicine,' Russell wrote in a post on X. 'Nowhere is safe for children in Gaza,' she said.
Saba Yemen
13-05-2025
- Health
- Saba Yemen
UN agency: Gaza heading for disastrous famine
New York - Saba: The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and UNICEF called for the immediate opening of the crossings and the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. They warned of the imminent threat of famine, the complete collapse of the agricultural sector, and the high rates of malnutrition and mortality resulting from the ongoing blockade and the deprivation of food, water, and healthcare. The new UN Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, released Monday evening, showed that the entire population of the Gaza Strip, approximately 2.1 million people, is facing severe food insecurity. 93% of the population (1.95 million people) is classified between Phases 3 and 5, with 244,000 people (12%) in Phase 5 (catastrophic famine), 925,000 (44%) in Phase 4 (emergency), and the remainder in Phase 3 (food crisis). The report revealed that approximately 470,000 people are currently suffering from actual famine, while 71,000 children and more than 17,000 mothers require immediate treatment for acute malnutrition. Since the beginning of 2025, an estimated 60,000 children have been in need of direct treatment. The United Nations expects the situation to continue to deteriorate during the period from May 11 to the end of September 2025, with the entire population remaining in a state of food crisis or worse. In the agricultural sector, the FAO indicated that 42% of Gaza's land (more than 15,000 hectares) was cultivated before October 2023. However, 75% of fields and olive groves were damaged or destroyed during military operations, and two-thirds of agricultural wells (1,531 wells) were no longer usable by early 2025. Although the FAO distributed more than 2,100 tons of fodder and veterinary supplies to more than 4,800 herders, supplies fall short of needs. The FAO confirmed that an additional 20-30% of livestock are at risk of dying if the entry of care supplies continues. WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain warned that "entire families are starving while aid stands at borders without permission to enter," stressing that "famine doesn't come suddenly; it occurs when people are denied access to food and care." UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stressed that hunger and malnutrition have become a daily reality for Gaza's children, calling for immediate action to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. The report indicated that more than 116,000 tons of food aid are ready at the crossings, enough to feed approximately one million people for four months, but these have not been allowed in due to the blockade. Food stocks have also been completely depleted, and all 25 subsidized bakeries have been closed due to a shortage of wheat flour and cooking fuel since the end of April. UN agencies called for respect for international humanitarian law and immediate access to supplies, warning that the continued blockade will lead to death rates exceeding famine levels in the coming months. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Al Etihad
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Etihad
FAO, WFP, UNICEF warn of catastrophic famine in Gaza
13 May 2025 00:38 NEW YORK/GENEVA (WAM)The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and UNICEF have urgently called for the immediate opening of crossings and the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, warning of an imminent famine, the complete collapse of the agricultural sector, and rising rates of malnutrition and deaths due to the ongoing blockade and deprivation of food, water, and healthcare for residents.A new report by the "Integrated Food Security Phase Classification" (IPC scale)l, which was released today, revealed that the entire population of Gaza, around 2.1 million people, is experiencing severe food report classified 93 percent of the population (1.95 million people) between phases three and five, with 244,000 people (12 percent) in phase five (catastrophic famine), 925,000 (44 percent) in phase four (emergency), and the remainder in phase three (crisis).The report further highlighted that nearly 470,000 people are currently facing actual famine, while 71,000 children and over 17,000 mothers require immediate treatment for acute malnutrition. Since the beginning of 2025, an estimated 60,000 children have needed direct United Nations warned that the situation is expected to worsen between 11th May and the end of September 2025, with the entire population remaining in a state of food crisis or the agricultural sector, FAO reported that 42 percent of Gaza's land (over 15,000 hectares) was cultivated before October 2023. However, 75 percent of fields and olive orchards have been damaged or destroyed during military operations, and two-thirds of agricultural wells (1,531 wells) became unusable at the beginning of the FAO's distribution of over 2,100 tonnes of animal feed and veterinary supplies to more than 4,800 herders, these supplies are insufficient, with FAO warning that an additional 20-30 percent of livestock is at risk of death if essential supplies continue to be McCain, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, warned, 'Entire families are starving while aid stands at the borders without permission to enter. Famine does not occur suddenly; it emerges when people are denied access to food and care.'UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell emphasised that hunger and malnutrition have become a daily reality for children in Gaza, calling for immediate action to prevent a humanitarian report also noted that more than 116,000 tonnes of food aid are ready at the crossings, sufficient to feed approximately one million people for four months, but have not been allowed entry due to the blockade. Food stocks have been entirely depleted, and all 25 subsidised bakeries have shut down due to the exhaustion of wheat flour and cooking fuel since the end of April. The UN agencies urged all parties to respect international humanitarian law and allow the immediate entry of supplies, warning that the continuation of the blockade will result in death rates exceeding famine levels in the coming months.
Middle East Eye
12-05-2025
- General
- Middle East Eye
Famine imminent in Gaza if Israel doesn't lift blockade, hunger monitor warns
Famine is imminent in Gaza, with half a million people at risk of starvation unless Israel lifts its siege, according to a grim new report released on Monday by a global hunger monitor, marking a major deterioration since its last report in October. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global network of UN agencies and humanitarian groups, reported Monday that 477,000 people in Gaza, or 22 percent of the population, are facing 'catastrophic' hunger from May to September, the highest classification level. Over one million more are at 'emergency' levels, marked by severe food gaps and high acute malnutrition. 'The current level of human suffering, destitution and harm is extreme and requires urgent action from all parties,' the IPC said in its report. The IPC warned that famine is imminent if the current conditions persist. The ongoing Israeli blockade, in place since 2 March, has severely restricted the entry of essential food and medical supplies into Gaza. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The blockade, coupled with over 19 months of intense bombardment, has decimated local food production and infrastructure, leaving residents almost entirely reliant on dwindling external aid. Communal kitchens, which have become the primary source of food for many, are rapidly shutting down due to a lack of supplies. Thousands of Palestinians queue daily, hoping for minimal food rations, often leaving empty-handed. The data was gathered by IPC in Gaza between 1 April 1 and 10 May. The IPC, which rarely declares famines, has done so in Somalia, South Sudan and Darfur in previous years. Engineered starvation In reaction to IPC's report, the World Food Programme (WFP) said that over 116,000 metric tons of food, enough to feed one million people for four months, remain blocked at the border. The WFP said on Monday that it had exhausted its food stocks in April, and all 25 WFP-supported bakeries have closed due to shortages of wheat flour and cooking fuel. 'Death of a generation': Gaza infants battle starvation under deepening Israeli siege Read More » 'Families in Gaza are starving while the food they need is sitting at the border,' said Cindy McCain, executive director of the WFP. 'If we wait until after a famine is confirmed, it will already be too late for many people.' Children are among the most severely affected. Save the Children reported that more than 93 percent of Gaza's children, around 930,000, are at critical risk of famine. Unicef said it has treated 11,000 children for acute malnutrition since the start of 2025, with cases climbing dramatically in March. 'Hunger and acute malnutrition are a daily reality for children across the Gaza Strip,' said Unicef executive director, Catherine Russell. Oxfam also condemned the situation. 'Gaza's starvation is not incidental - it is deliberate, entirely engineered - and has now created the largest population facing starvation anywhere in the world,' said Mahmoud Alsaqqa, Oxfam's food security and livelihoods coordinator. 'It is unconscionable and is being allowed to happen.' He described the total siege as a 'manmade famine unfolding in real time,' with scenes of malnourished children too weak to cry and entire communities surviving without food or clean water. 'In one displacement camp, only five of 500 families had any flour left to make bread,' he added. Weaponised aid The IPC said that an Israeli plan announced on 5 May to facilitate aid delivery was 'highly insufficient to meet the population's essential needs'. Israel is starving Gaza to death, and still the world does nothing Read More » Israel maintains that the blockade is necessary to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining captives and insists on a new aid distribution system under its control. Humanitarian agencies oppose this plan, saying it weaponises assistance. 'Turning aid into a tool of control endangers civilians, erodes the neutrality of humanitarian work, and risks unleashing even greater chaos and suffering across Gaza,' Alsaqqa said. Meanwhile, international leaders have voiced their concerns, including the new pope. Pope Leo XIV, in his inaugural Sunday address, called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and urged the global community to allow humanitarian aid into the strip. Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin labelled Israel's blockade as a "war crime" and said it is "wholly unacceptable'.
Forbes
07-05-2025
- General
- Forbes
UNICEF: Aid Blockade Fuels Humanitarian Catastrophe In Gaza
After more than 18 months of war, children in Gaza are being pushed to the brink. "All parties to the conflict must allow and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance," says UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. Ten-year-old Qusay searches through the wreckage of his house in the Al-Touam area in the northern Gaza Strip, looking for any signs of the life he remembers before his family was displaced to Rafah in the south. "I am heartbroken because I found nothing — none of my books, toys, clothes, bed or even my bicycle," he said. © UNICEF/UNI738287/Mohammed Nateel. All rights reserved. Families are struggling to survive in the Gaza Strip where all humanitarian assistance — including food, fuel and medicines — has been blocked from entry since March 2, putting the lives of children at extreme risk. "For two months, children in the Gaza Strip have faced relentless bombardments while being deprived of essential goods, services and lifesaving care," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement issued on May 2. "With each passing day of the aid blockade, they face the growing risk of starvation, illness and death – nothing can justify this." Noha Hassouna with her sons Abdullah, 5, and Mohammed, 3, both injured during an air strike on Dar Al-Arqam School in Gaza City that killed 27 people on April 3, 2025. The school was being used as a shelter for families displaced by the war. "All six members of my family were injured during the attack," she said. "Tragically, one of my daughters is still missing." © UNICEF/UNI774450/Nateel Between the start of the ceasefire on Jan. 19, 2025 and its breakdown in March, UNICEF delivered nearly 1,000 trucks filled with urgently needed humanitarian aid, including vaccines, nutrition supplies and medical equipment. Now supply stocks replenished during the ceasefire are close to running out. Bakeries are shutting their doors and market shelves are almost bare. On March 24, 2025, a child carries water containers back to his tent in Beach Camp, Gaza City, after filling them from tanks of safe water brought by UNICEF trucks. © UNICEF/UNI773246/Mohammed Nateel. All rights reserved. Children are being deprived of food and safe water; diseases are spreading In the past month, over 75 percent of households have reported deteriorating access to water — they don't have enough water to drink, are unable to wash their hands when needed and are often forced to choose between showering, cleaning and cooking. Vaccines are quickly running out and diseases are spreading. Acute watery diarrhea now accounts for one in every four cases of disease recorded in Gaza. Most of these cases are among children under 5, for whom it is life-threatening. Malnutrition is also on the rise. More than 9,000 children have been admitted for treatment of acute malnutrition since the beginning of the year. Hundreds more children in desperate need of treatment are not able to access it due to the insecurity and displacement. Since March 18, hostilities have intensified, resulting in 390,000 people being newly displaced with nowhere safe to go. A boy holds a package of summer clothing distributed by UNICEF to children in Gaza City on April 14, 2025. © UNICEF/UNI782435/Rawan Eleyan. All rights reserved. UNICEF will stay and deliver for children in Gaza UNICEF remains in the Gaza Strip, doing what it can to support and protect children. During the month of March, despite the stoppage of aid entry since March 2, UNICEF and partners continued to deliver services including: Resumption of neonatal health care services in the north — the lives of 150 newborns were saved thanks to the provision of 21 respiratory machines for babies to several hospitals — the lives of 150 newborns were saved thanks to the provision of 21 respiratory machines for babies to several hospitals Increased access to safe water, particularly in the north — more than 1.6 million people received clean water in the Gaza Strip at some point, with more than 500 cubic meters of clean water distributed daily in the north through water trucking — more than 1.6 million people received clean water in the Gaza Strip at some point, with more than 500 cubic meters of clean water distributed daily in the north through water trucking Prevention of family separation — more than 300 children were reunited with their parents after having been separated by displacement orders and intense strikes, through the distribution of identity bracelets — more than 300 children were reunited with their parents after having been separated by displacement orders and intense strikes, through the Provision of psychosocial support — more than 7,200 children received mental health and psychosocial support , and nearly 200 very vulnerable children received dedicated support — more than 7,200 children received , and nearly 200 very vulnerable children received dedicated support Addressing malnutrition — More than 7,800 children under age 2 were reached with ready-to-use complementary food (RUCF) and more than 33,500 were screened for malnutrition — More than 7,800 children under age 2 were reached with ready-to-use complementary food (RUCF) and more than 33,500 were screened for malnutrition Continued support for learning — UNICEF provided learning for more than 16,000 children in just one month through temporary learning spaces , community-led initiatives and schools — UNICEF provided learning for more than 16,000 children in just one month through , community-led initiatives and schools Sustained humanitarian cash transfers — UNICEF has reached more than 133,000 people, including over 76,000 children, with multi-purpose cash channeled through digital e-wallets. Priority was given to pregnant and breastfeeding women and families with multiple children. This assistance helps families meet their very basic needs, including food, medicine and hygiene items, when these goods are available for sale in markets Born with hearing impairments, Ali, 9, and his sister, 13-year-old Maryam, lost their mother in an air strike in the Gaza Strip. They also lost their hearing aids, and were left with a single, malfunctioning device. Their aunt Suad enrolled them in a makeshift school tent, "but Maryam would often come to me and say, 'I couldn't hear anything during class,'" Suad said. Recently, the children received new hearing aids from UNICEF. "Finally, Maryam and Ali will be able to hear us again, and Maryam can follow her lessons properly at school,' said Suad. © UNICEF/UNI787985/Mohammed Nateel. All rights reserved. UNICEF continues to call for the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance, the release of all hostages and the protection of all children 'International humanitarian law requires authorities to ensure that the population under their control is treated humanely," said Russell. "This not only includes ensuring that civilians have the food, medicine and essential supplies they need, but also ensuring sufficient hygiene and public health standards. "All parties to the conflict must allow and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance. And they must allow and facilitate all relevant UN entities to carry out those activities for the benefit of the local population," Russell continued. "We reiterate our call for the aid blockade to be lifted, for the entry of commercial goods into Gaza, for the release of the hostages and for the protection of all children.' Your contribution to UNICEF is more important than ever. Please donate. Right now, the lives of the most vulnerable children hang in the balance as conflicts and crises jeopardize the care and protection that they deserve. Dependable, uninterrupted and effective foreign aid is critical to the well-being of millions of children. Please contact your members of Congress and urge them to support ongoing U.S. investments in foreign assistance.
