UN says Gaza remains ‘beyond catastrophic,’ food still in short supply

The United Nations says the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains “beyond catastrophic,” with more than one million Palestinians not receiving any food rations in August and a 35 percent drop in people getting daily cooked meals.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric says the UN humanitarian office attributed the sharp reduction in cooked meals partly to multiple evacuation orders from Israeli security forces that forced at least 70 of 130 kitchens to either suspend or relocate their operations.

The UN’s humanitarian partners also lacked sufficient food supplies to meet requirements for the second straight month in central and southern Gaza, “and will only be able to provide one food parcel to families in central and southern Gaza during the September distribution cycle,” he adds.

Dujarric points to ongoing hostilities, insecurity, damaged roads, the breakdown of law and order, and access limitations as reasons for the critical shortages of commodities.

In the West Bank, he accuses Israel of using “lethal war-like tactics, including airstrikes,” as it wages a major anti-terror campaign in the cities of Jenin, Tubas and Tulkarm.

“Medical facilities have been virtually besieged for over a week now, with heavy restrictions imposed on the movement of ambulances and medical staff,” Dujarric says.