Israel's Gaza Aid Block 'Manmade Starvation': UNRWA Chief

Gaza City, Palestinian Territories: The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees on Friday condemned Israel's more than seven weeks aid block on war-ravaged Gaza as "a man-made and politically motivated starvation".

"The Government of Israel continues to block the entry of food + other basics," Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X, hours after the World Food Programme said it had depleted its food stocks in Gaza.

"Nearly 2 months of siege. Calls to bring in supplies are going unheeded", Lazzarini added.

Aid blockade must end

People queue with pots to receive charity meals from a kitchen in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 24, 2025. (Photo by Bashar Taleb / AFP)

"For weeks, hot meal kitchens have been the only consistent source of food assistance for people in Gaza. Despite reaching just half the population with only 25 percent of daily food needs, they have provided a critical lifeline," the UN's World Food Programme said.

The agency added that "more than 116,000 metric tons of food assistance -- enough to feed one million people for up to four months" was positioned at aid corridors ready to be brought in "as soon as borders reopen".

Following WFP's warning, the World Health Organization's chief said medical supplies were also "running out" in Gaza while 16 WHO trucks wait to enter.

"This aid blockade must end. Lives depend on it", Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.

WFP added that all 25 bakeries it supports in Gaza were forced to close on March 31 as wheat flour and cooking oil ran out during "the longest closure the Gaza Strip has ever faced".

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