'In Gaza, no one has enough to eat': UN chief
'Of the 700,000 hungriest people in the world, four in five inhabit that tiny strip of land,' Antonio Guterres says
Palestinian children, holding empty pots, wait in line to receive food prepared by volunteers for Palestinian families ,displaced to Southern Gaza due to Israeli attacks, between rubbles of destroyed buildings in Rafah, Gaza on February 10, 2024
WASHINGTON
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced deep concern Tuesday about nutrition in the Gaza Strip where Israeli attacks continue.
"I am dismayed to say that our world today is teeming with examples of the devastating relationship between hunger and conflict.
"In Gaza, no one has enough to eat," Guterres said at a UN Security Council meeting on the maintenance of international peace and security.
"Of the 700,000 hungriest people in the world, four in five inhabit that tiny strip of land," he added.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, killing at least 28,473 victims and injuring 68,146, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.
The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
'Without action, the situation will deteriorate'
Guterres said climate chaos and food crises are "serious and mounting" threats to global peace and security, which are imperiling food production all over the world.
He said that globally, there is a risk of a resurgence of food inflation as droughts sap the Panama Canal and violence has hit the Red Sea -- throwing supply chains into disarray.
"Without action, the situation will deteriorate. Conflicts are multiplying. The climate crisis is set to spiral, as emissions continue to rise. And acute food insecurity has been increasing year on year," he said.
The World Food Programme estimates that more than 330 million people were affected in 2023, he added.
To avoid "mounting threats" to international peace and security, he said, "We must step in. And act now to break the deadly links between conflict, climate and food insecurity."
He urged the Council to consider how it can best address the interlinked threats to climate, food security and international peace and security.
"The message is clear: We can break the deadly nexus of hunger, climate chaos, and conflict. And quell the threat they pose to international peace and security.
"Let’s act to do so and build a livable, sustainable future, free from hunger, and free from the scourge of war," he added.
