WFP Executive Director warns: Famine is imminent in Northern Gaza if necessary aid volume not delivered

CAIRO - 12 March 2024: The Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program, Cindy McCain, said on Monday that famine is imminent in northern Gaza if the volume of aid entering the Strip is not significantly increased.

 

She made her remarks during a press conference held in Rome on the occasion of the launch of the “Food for Gaza” initiative. 

 

McCain said, as reported by the American CNN network , that at the present time, the World Food Program is "deeply concerned about the humanitarian conditions in Gaza," especially in the north, which is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe.

 

McCain stressed that the aid sent to Gaza by airdrop never matches the necessary volume, adding that access to roads and the use of ports and crossings is the only way to deliver aid to the Strip in the required volume.

 

McCain stressed that there is an urgent need for 300 trucks of food supplies to enter the Strip on a daily basis, explaining that the program is sparing no effort in efforts to provide sufficient food aid.

 

She noted that the World Food Program was forced to temporarily stop delivering aid to the north on February 20th due to safety concerns and the collapse of the system.