Latest news with #Laerke
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- General
- Los Angeles Times
What is a famine and who declares one?
For months, U.N. officials, aid groups and experts have warned that Palestinians in Gaza are on the brink of famine. Gaza's population of more than 2 million people relies almost entirely on outside aid to survive because Israel's 19-month-old military offensive has wiped out most capacity to produce food inside the territory. Israel said it imposed the blockade to pressure Hamas into releasing the hostages it holds and because it accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid, without providing evidence. The U.N. says there are mechanisms in place that prevent any significant diversion of aid, though aid trucks have been robbed and hungry crowds have broken into aid warehouses a few times. No famine has been formally declared in Gaza. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, the leading international authority on hunger crises, considers an area to be in famine when three things occur: 20% of households have an extreme lack of food, or essentially are starving; at least 30% of children suffer from acute malnutrition or wasting, meaning they're too thin for their height; and two adults or four children per every 10,000 people are dying daily of hunger and its complications. Famine can appear in pockets — sometimes small ones — and a formal classification requires caution. Last year, experts said a famine was ongoing in parts of North Darfur in Sudan. Somalia, in 2011, and South Sudan, in 2017, also saw famines in which tens of thousands of people were affected. Gaza poses a particular complication for experts since access is severely limited, making gathering data difficult if not impossible in some cases. Last year, the IPC said an area can be classified as in 'famine with reasonable evidence' if two of the three thresholds have been reached and crossing the third appears likely to have happened. The IPC unites experts from more than 20 organizations like the U.N.'s health, development and food aid agencies. The short answer is, there's no set rule. While the IPC says it is the 'primary mechanism' used by the international community to analyze data and conclude whether a famine is happening or projected, it typically doesn't make such a declaration itself. Often, U.N. officials or governments will make a formal statement, based on an analysis from the IPC. 'There's a widespread misunderstanding that someone has to declare a famine before it is a famine. That is not the case,' said Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 'When IPC shows the data that hits the threshold for a famine, then it's a famine.' Theoretically, governments and the international aid community, including the United Nations, unlock aid and funding to help feed people en masse. In general, international preparation and effective deployment in response to famines can be lacking. 'There is not a big, huge bank account' to draw on, said OCHA's Laerke. 'The fundamental problem is that we build the fire engine as we respond.' Keaten writes for the Associated Press. Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed.
ITV News
3 days ago
- Politics
- ITV News
UN calls Gaza the 'hungriest place on Earth' as ceasefire deal hangs in the balance
Hamas said on Friday that it was still reviewing a US proposal for a temporary ceasefire, as the UN called Gaza "the hungriest place on Earth". The ceasefire plan, which has been approved by Israeli officials, has had lukewarm reaction from the militant US proposal "does not respond to any of our people's demands, foremost among which is stopping the war and famine", a top Hamas official said on the group has not yet officially rejected the plan and said it was continuing to study the details uncertainty over the new proposal came as hospital officials said that 27 people had been killed Friday in separate airstrikes. A strike that hit a tent in the southern city of Khan Younis killed 13, including eight children, hospital officials said. The Israeli military did not immediately comment. Meanwhile, the bodies of 12 people, including three women, were brought to Shifa Hospital on Friday from the nearby Jabaliya refugee camp. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the bodies of two others were brought to a hospital in Gaza City. Starving Gazans continue to be deprived of aid as international relief efforts are being severely constrained by the Israeli authorities, the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office OCHA said on Friday.'Gaza is the hungriest place on Earth,' OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke told reporters in Geneva, stressing that it is the only defined territory in the world where the entire population is at risk of famine.'The aid operation that we have ready to roll is being put in an operational straitjacket that makes it one of the most obstructed aid operations, not only in the world today, but in recent history,' he said. Laerke explained that out of nearly 900 aid trucks that were approved to enter Gaza, less than 600 have been arrived and an even lower number has been picked up for distribution.'It is drip-feeding food into an area on the verge of catastrophic hunger,' he insisted, adding that many of the trucks were 'swarmed by desperate people' on the Wednesday, hungry crowds overran a UN World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, where limited stocks of wheat flour had been pre-positioned for use by the few bakeries able to resume operations. The incident reportedly left two people dead. In a statement WFP reiterated warnings over 'the risks imposed by limiting humanitarian aid to hungry people in desperate need of assistance'.A new US and Israeli-backed aid distribution scheme run by a private entity called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operating independently of the UN this week in the Strip. On Tuesday at least 47 Palestinians were reportedly shot and injured trying to collect aid from its distribution facility in the south, according to information received by UN human rights office, told reporters that that criteria for getting aid have to be based on need, and not the ability to walk for kilometres to a distribution point.'It creates chaos, and it creates a situation that is extremely dangerous for people,' Laerke said. 'Even if you enter one of those distribution points, pick up a package, the minute you're out of it… Are you a target for looters again? Yes, you are.'Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump claimed on Friday that negotiators were nearing a ceasefire deal. When asked about Hamas' response to the deal, he said: "They're very close to an agreement on Gaza, and we'll let you know about it during the day or maybe tomorrow." Since the war began, more than 54,000 Gaza residents, mostly women and children , have been killed according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking 250 hostages.
Observer
3 days ago
- General
- Observer
'100 per cent' of Gazans at risk of famine: UN
GENEVA: Gaza is "the hungriest place on Earth", the United Nations said on Friday, warning that the Palestinian territory's entire population was now at risk of famine. Negotiations to end nearly 20 months of war have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough, with Israel resuming operations in Gaza in March, ending a six-week truce. "Gaza is the hungriest place on Earth," said Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA. "It's the only defined area — a country or defined territory within a country — where you have the entire population at risk of famine. 100 per cent of the population at risk of famine," he said, rejecting claims to the contrary by Israeli authorities. At a press briefing in Geneva, Laerke detailed the difficulties faced by the United Nations in delivering humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. In recent days, Israel has partially eased a total aid blockade on the Palestinian territory that it imposed on March 2, leading to severe shortages of food and medicine. Laerke said 900 trucks of humanitarian aid had been authorised by Israel to enter the Strip since the blockade was partially lifted. But so far only 600 trucks have been offloaded on the Gaza side of the border and a smaller number of truckloads have then been picked up, due to multiple security considerations. Laerke said the mission to deliver aid was "in an operational strait-jacket that makes it one of the most obstructed aid operations not only in the world today, but in recent history." Once truckloads enter Gaza, they are often "swarmed by desperate people", Laerke said. Palestinians evacuate in the aftermath of an Israeli strike on a house, in Gaza City, on Friday. — Reuters "I don't blame them, for one second, for taking the aid that essentially is already theirs — but it's not distributed in the way we want." The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — a new organisation backed by Israel and the United States that emerged in early May — has been distributing aid at several sites across the Strip this week. The organisation has faced accusations of helping Israel fulfil its military objectives while excluding Palestinians and failing to adhere to humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence. Asked about the foundation's operations, Laerke said: "It's not working. It does not meet the needs of people. It creates chaos." Thousands of Palestinians rushed into a GHF centre on Tuesday, AFP journalists reported, as Israel implemented a new distribution system that bypasses the UN. Laerke said that by having people collect aid rather than delivering it to them where they are, they become a target for looters once they leave the site. "It is so desperate and tragic and frustrating and wildly unhumanitarian," he said. In a statement, GHF claimed it had delivered two million meals in four days. "Our commitment to safely and effectively supplying food directly to a large, hungry population is unwavering," its interim executive director John Acree said. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that abandoning war-torn Gaza to its own fate and giving Israel a "free pass" would kill the West's credibility with the rest of the world. "If we abandon Gaza, if we consider there is a free pass for Israel, even if we do condemn the terrorist attacks, we will kill our credibility," Macron told a top defence forum in Singapore, adding: "And this is why we do reject double standard." — AFP
Scoop
3 days ago
- General
- Scoop
Gaza Is The ‘Hungriest Place On Earth', As Israel Continues Stranglehold On Aid
'Gaza is the hungriest place on Earth,' OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke told reporters in Geneva, stressing that it is the only defined territory in the world where the entire population is at risk of famine. ' The aid operation that we have ready to roll is being put in an operational straitjacket that makes it one of the most obstructed aid operations, not only in the world today, but in recent history,' he said. Mr. Laerke explained that out of nearly 900 aid trucks that were approved to enter from the Israeli side since the reopening of the Kerem Shalom border crossing between Israel and the war-torn enclave ten days ago, less than 600 have been offloaded on the Gaza side. An even lower number has been picked up for distribution in Gaza, he said, pointing to the 'congested, insecure' routes which humanitarians are assigned to use by the Israeli authorities, as well as 'significant delays' in the approvals. Drip-feed of desperation The OCHA spokesperson stressed that the limited number of truckloads coming in is a 'trickle'. ' It is drip-feeding food into an area on the verge of catastrophic hunger,' he insisted. Mr. Laerke added that many of the trucks were 'swarmed by desperate people' on the way. 'It's a survival reaction by desperate people who want to feed their families,' he said, adding that the aid on the trucks 'had been paid for by the donors to go to those people'. 'I don't blame them one second for taking the aid that essentially is already theirs, but it's not distributed in a way we wanted,' he explained. On Wednesday, hungry crowds overran a UN World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, where limited stocks of wheat flour had been pre-positioned for use by the few bakeries able to resume operations. The incident reportedly left two people dead. In a statement WFP reiterated warnings over 'the risks imposed by limiting humanitarian aid to hungry people in desperate need of assistance'. 'Paid for' aid must be delivered OCHA's Mr. Laerke insisted once again on the fact that the UN and partners have 'tens of thousands of pallets of food and other life-saving assistance' ready to enter Gaza to relieve the suffering. ' The aid has been paid for by the world's donors, who expect us on their behalf to deliver it. It is cleared for customs, it is approved and it's ready to move,' he said. A new US and Israeli-backed aid distribution scheme run by a private entity called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operating independently of the UN this week in the Strip. On Tuesday at least 47 Palestinians were reportedly shot and injured trying to collect aid from its distribution facility in the south, according to information received by UN human rights office, OHCHR. Aid scheme to bypass UN 'not working' In reaction to the incident OCHA head in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Jonathan Whittall warned on Wednesday that the US-Israeli distribution scheme was "engineered scarcity: four distribution hubs located in central and southern Gaza, secured by private US security contractors, where those Palestinians who can reach them will receive rations." Mr. Laerke told reporters that this 'alternative modality' is 'not working' as it does not meet people's needs. He added that it constitutes a 'violation of basic principle of impartiality', and that criteria for getting aid have to be based on need, and not the ability to walk for kilometres to a distribution point. ' It creates chaos, and it creates a situation that is extremely dangerous for people,' Mr. Laerke said. 'Even if you enter one of those distribution points, pick up a package, the minute you're out of it… Are you a target for looters again? Yes, you are.' The OCHA spokesperson reiterated calls by the humanitarian community for the reopening of all crossing points into Gaza, to enable delivery from all corridors, including from Jordan and Egypt. 'We need to be able to deliver food directly to families where they are,' as has been the case in the past, he said. Highlighting the challenges for humanitarian access, Mr. Laerke said that over 80 per cent of the Gaza Strip is currently within Israeli militarized zones or under displacement orders. Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed on 18 March nearly 635,000 people in the enclave have been displaced yet again.
IOL News
3 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
'100 percent' of Gazans face risk of famine, United Nations warns
A displaced Palestinian youth ferries a bag of food aid on his shoulders after people stormed a World Food Programme warehouse in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on May 28. Image: Eyad Baba / AFP Gaza is "the hungriest place on Earth", the United Nations said on Friday, warning that the Palestinian territory's entire population was now at risk of famine. Negotiations to end nearly 20 months of war have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough, with Israel resuming operations in Gaza in March, ending a six-week truce. "Gaza is the hungriest place on Earth," said Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA. "It's the only defined area - a country or defined territory within a country - where you have the entire population at risk of famine. 100 percent of the population at risk of famine," he said, rejecting claims to the contrary by Israeli authorities. In recent days, Israel has partially eased a total aid blockade on the Palestinian territory that it imposed on March 2, leading to severe shortages of food and medicine. Daniel Meron, Israel's ambassador in Geneva, rejected the claim, saying UN agencies "cherry pick the facts to paint an alternative version of reality and demonise Israel". "In a desperate effort to remain relevant, they lambast the best efforts of Israel and its partners to facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid to the civilian population. UN feeds Hamas, we make sure aid gets to those in need," he wrote on X. 'Catastrophic hunger' At a press briefing in Geneva, Laerke detailed the difficulties faced by the United Nations in delivering humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Laerke said 900 trucks of humanitarian aid had been authorised by Israel to enter the Strip since the blockade was partially lifted. But so far only 600 trucks have been offloaded on the Gaza side of the border, and a smaller number of truckloads have then been picked up, due to multiple security considerations. Laerke said the mission to deliver aid was "in an operational strait-jacket that makes it one of the most obstructed aid operations not only in the world today, but in recent history". Once truckloads enter Gaza, they are often "swarmed by desperate people", Laerke said. "I don't blame them, for one second, for taking the aid that essentially is already theirs - but it's not distributed in the way we want." 'Desperate and tragic' The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - a new organisation backed by Israel and the United States that emerged in early May - has been distributing aid at several sites across the Strip this week. The organisation has faced accusations of helping Israel fulfil its military objectives while excluding Palestinians and failing to adhere to humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence. Asked about the foundation's operations, Laerke said: "It's not working. It does not meet the needs of people. It creates chaos." Thousands of Palestinians rushed into a GHF centre on Tuesday, AFP journalists reported, as Israel implemented a new distribution system that bypasses the UN. Laerke said that by having people collect aid rather than delivering it to them where they are, they become a target for looters once they leave the site. "It is so desperate and tragic and frustrating and wildly unhumanitarian," he said. In a statement, GHF claimed it had delivered two million meals in four days. AFP
