Gazans Send Desperate Messages as Hunger Worsens in Gaza

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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The residents of Gaza have sent a desperate message as hunger worsens due to the humanitarian aid blockade by Israel since March 2.

The AFP journalists' association warned on Monday that journalists working for the news agency in Gaza are facing extreme food shortages and are at risk of starvation amidst Israel's ongoing blockade and airstrikes.

Issuing a strong warning, the SDJ, the journalists' association of the French news agency, stated that they do not want their staff to die.

"Since AFP was founded in August 1944, we have lost journalists in conflicts, we have had wounded and prisoners in our ranks, but none of us can recall seeing a colleague die of hunger," the association said in a post shared by Anadolu.

In the statement, SDJ noted that AFP has been working with a freelance reporter, three photographers, and six freelance video journalists in Gaza.

Referring to one of them, Bashar Taleb, who works for the news agency as a photographer, the union shared his social media post, showing the dire conditions in the besieged enclave.

"I have no strength left to cover media. My body is emaciated, and I can no longer walk," wrote Taleb, 30, in a Facebook post on Saturday.

He also said that his brother collapsed on Sunday morning due to severe hunger.

According to the union's statement, despite receiving a monthly salary, AFP journalists in Gaza have nothing to buy or pay the exorbitant prices.

They stated that the agency no longer has the resources to have vehicles due to the scarcity of fuel to allow their journalists to travel for coverage.

They noted that traveling by car is equivalent to risking being targeted by the Israeli air force.

The union also mentioned another AFP journalist, Ahlam, who expressed her desire to "bear witness" for as long as possible.

"Every time I leave the tent to cover an event, conduct an interview, or document a fact, I do not know if I will return alive," said Ahlam, noting that the lack of food and water is the biggest issue.

Expressing concern about their worsening situation, the union stated that their courage, which they have poured out for months to inform the world, "will not help them survive."

"We risk knowing their deaths at any time, and this is unbearable," the statement added.

Meanwhile, as quoted from Anadolu, a senior official from the World Food Programme (WFP) warned that Gaza is facing a "stunning" level of hunger, with a quarter of its population experiencing famine-like conditions.

"The hunger crisis in Gaza has clearly reached a new and shocking level of despair," said Ross Smith, the Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response at WFP, in a virtual press conference.

He added that "one-third of the population does not eat for several consecutive days."

"A quarter of the population is facing famine-like conditions," Smith said.

Referring to more than "nearly 100,000 women and children suffering from severe acute malnutrition and urgently needing treatment," he emphasized that "currently, the markets are not functioning, and nothing is really moving inside Gaza."

"This minimum operational requirement includes moving more than 100 trucks per day to relieve the existing despair," he said, noting that only 10 percent of the required trucks have arrived since mid-May.

Commenting on the increasing deaths due to hunger, Smith said, "We have heard reports of people dying from hunger, and we certainly have a number of people suffering from severe acute malnutrition. So, we certainly have evidence of how severe this situation is."

He also addressed the recent tragedy involving a WFP convoy, stating, "Yesterday's incident is one of the greatest tragedies we have witnessed in our operations in Gaza and elsewhere as we strive to work. And it could have been entirely avoided and is a real tragedy."

Smith further emphasized that all of the UN's movements and positions have been known to the Israeli authorities.

Since March 2, Israel has imposed a total blockade on Gaza, prohibiting the entry of food, medicine, and humanitarian aid. Aid agencies have repeatedly warned of man-made famine, but there are no signs of easing.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) also issued a warning on Monday regarding the severe food crisis in Gaza, reporting that they receive "desperate messages about hunger" from civilian residents.

"We receive desperate messages about hunger from Gaza, including from our colleagues," UNRWA wrote on the X platform.

"The prices of food have skyrocketed up to 40 times," the agency emphasized.

UNRWA also shared evidence of purchase receipts showing the price of 1 kilogram of sugar now reaching US$100, while the prices of flour, rice, and lentils range between US$23-30 - a total of US$183 for just four staple foods.

Despite the worsening crisis, UNRWA confirmed that "just outside Gaza, in storage warehouses, UNRWA has enough food supplies for the entire population of Gaza for more than three months."

"The suffering in Gaza is man-made and must be stopped," UNRWA insisted, calling for an immediate lifting of the siege and the safe and large-scale entry of humanitarian aid.

Earlier that day, the Gaza Health Ministry stated that 99 Palestinians had died and over 650 others were injured while trying to obtain humanitarian aid in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed while seeking help to 1,021, with over 6,511 others injured since May 27.

Since October 2023, Israel has killed almost 59,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, most of whom are women and children. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, causing the collapse of the healthcare system and creating a severe food crisis.

Last November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing a genocide lawsuit in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its war on the besieged enclave.

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