(CNN) — Northern Gaza is experiencing a “full-blown famine” that is spreading rapidly across Gaza after nearly seven months of war, the executive director of the World Food Program said.
The dire warning comes as negotiators meet in Cairo hoping to agree a ceasefire in the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people in the Palestinian territory. And it highlighted the magnitude of the humanitarian catastrophe that was unfolding.
“Whenever there are conflicts like this, and emotions are running high and things happen in a war, famine happens,” the WFP’s Cindy McCain told NBC’s “Meet the Press” in a clip released ahead of the interview. which will air this Sunday.
“What I can explain to you is that there is a famine, a full-blown famine, in the north, and it is moving south.” While McCain’s comments do not constitute an official declaration of famine, he said they were based on what WFP staff had seen on the ground.
“It’s horror,” he said of the situation in Gaza. “It’s very hard to see and very hard to hear.”
McCain said the WFP is calling for a ceasefire and “unrestricted access” to Gaza, as delivering aid to the territory has been extremely difficult.
Israel has faced increasing pressure in recent weeks to allow aid into Gaza after its military strikes killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen, a US-based charity.
Human rights agencies have long warned of a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza under Israel’s military assault, launched in response to the Hamas-led attacks on October 7. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 34,600 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza as of May 1.
According to the UN, over the course of the war, more than 1.9 million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced, with many taking refuge in overcrowded tent camps that cannot offer sufficient access to health services or food. The entire population of more than 2.2 million people is now at risk of famine and at least 30 children have already died of malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health.
Concerns are also growing over a planned Israeli military operation in Rafah in southern Gaza, prompting fresh calls for a ceasefire.
People in southern Gaza queue to receive a plate of food for their families from charities, on May 3, 2024. (Credit: Doaa Albaz/Anadolu/Getty Images)
Possible Rafah operation
US officials are currently assessing that a limited number of tents are being built in southern Gaza in order to temporarily house civilians who would be transferred out of Rafah in the event of an Israeli Defense Forces raid, according to a senior administration official on Friday.
However, the official stressed that the tents being built are not nearly the amount that would be needed to house more than 1 million people who would seek refuge.
“[No hay] “There is no sign that they are imminently able, willing or ready to enter Rafah,” the official said of the Israeli forces. “They are certainly not prepared to care for, feed and sustain one and a half million people.”
Israel’s government informed humanitarian aid organizations in recent days about its plans to evacuate civilians from Rafah, according to a source familiar with the matter. The government warned that an operation in Rafah was coming, but did not provide any kind of timeline and did not suggest it was imminent.
US and Israeli officials have said that any potential agreement on a framework that would bring both a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza would likely be followed by continued negotiations over the finer details.
It is expected that several more days will be needed to negotiate a final agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Egyptian capital.
