UN warns of Gaza famine risk as Security Council resolution faces vote

The United Nations warns the Israel-Hamas war is pushing Gaza towards famine, ahead of an expected Security Council vote today on a resolution to boost aid to the Palestinian territory but not call for a ceasefire.

With conditions deteriorating in the territory, the UN Security Council has been locked in negotiations on a resolution that would boost aid deliveries.

The entire population of Gaza faces “an imminent risk of famine,” according to a UN-backed global hunger monitoring system on Thursday, with more than half a million people facing “catastrophic conditions.

“We have been warning for weeks that, with such deprivation and destruction, each day that goes by will only bring more hunger, disease and despair to the people of Gaza,” UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths posted on X, formerly Twitter.

This announcement about the risk of famine in Gaza is sobering but not surprising.

We have been warning for weeks that, with such deprivation and destruction, each day that goes by will only bring more hunger, disease and despair to the people of Gaza.
 
The war must end. https://t.co/YqIeqoAR08

— Tom Fletcher (@UNReliefChief) December 22, 2023