Geneva [Switzerland], August 23 : UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, has issued a stark condemnation of the ongoing famine in Gaza, describing it as a preventable crisis fuelled by "systematic obstruction" by Israel and a collective global failure that will "haunt us all".
During a press briefing on Friday, after the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a UN-backed initiative, confirmed that famine is currently occurring in Gaza, Fletcher urged immediate action, including a ceasefire and unrestricted aid access, to avert further catastrophe.
While pointing to findings of the IPC report, Fletcher noted the human toll, highlighting how food aid is piling up at borders due to Israeli restrictions, creating a famine "within a few hundred metres of food, in a fertile land."
"Please read the IPC report, cover to cover. Read it in sorrow and in anger. Not as words and numbers but as names and lives. Be in no doubt that this is irrefutable testimony. It is a famine. The Gaza Famine. It is a famine that we could have prevented if we had been allowed. Yet food stacks up at borders because of systematic obstruction by Israel. It is a famine within a few hundred metres of food, in a fertile land," he stated.
The UN official also painted a grim picture of the crisis, noting that it disproportionately affects the vulnerable, forcing harrowing choices like deciding which child to feed and risking lives for sustenance.
"It is a famine that hits the most vulnerable first. Each with a name, each with a story. That strips people of dignity before it strips them of life. That forces a parent to choose which child to feed. That forces people to risk their lives to seek food. It is a famine that we repeatedly warned of. But that the international media has not been allowed in to cover. To bear witness. It is a famine in 2025. A 21st century famine watched over by drones and the most advanced military technology in history. It is a famine openly promoted by some Israeli leaders as a weapon of war," the UN Relief Chief added.
Fletcher underscored the global responsibility of the situation in Gaza, stating, "It is a famine on all of our watch. Everyone owns this. The Gaza Famine is the world's famine. It is a famine that asks 'but what did you do?" A famine that will and must haunt us all."
He described the situation as "a predictable and a preventable famine. A famine caused by cruelty, justified by revenge, enabled by indifference and sustained by complicity," calling for it to "spur the world to more urgent action" and "shame the world to do better."
Calling for immediate action, he issued a direct plea to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and global leaders for a "ceasefire" and access to aid and supplies in the region.
"Enough. Ceasefire. Open the crossings, north and south, all of them. Let us get food and other supplies in, unimpeded and at the massive scale required. End the retribution. It is too late for far too many. But not for everyone in Gaza. Enough. For humanity's sake, let us in," Fletcher stated.
According to Al Jazeera, citing Gaza's Health Ministry, a total of 273 people have died from malnutrition and starvation in the region, including 112 children.
Meanwhile, Israel's military campaign in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of at least 62,622 people and injuries to 157,673 following the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel by Hamas, which left 1,139 people dead and over 200 taken hostage, Al Jazeera reported.