NEW YORK: The UN World Food Programme warned on Monday that Gaza is teetering on the brink of full-scale famine, with nearly 100,000 women and children suffering from severe acute malnutrition amid rapidly deteriorating humanitarian conditions.
Speaking to reporters at a UN briefing, senior WFP official Ross Smith said that hunger is worsening, and humanitarian access has been severely restricted.
“A quarter of the population are facing famine-like conditions,” he said. “People are dying from lack of assistance every day.”
Smith stressed that food and humanitarian aid are the only viable solutions at present, but movement inside Gaza remains perilous and limited. “The markets are non-functional. Nothing is really moving inside Gaza for us,” he said, outlining the “minimum operating conditions” required to respond effectively. These include functioning border crossings, reduced wait times and security approvals, and the ability to transport goods freely and safely.
He said the WFP requires a minimum of 100 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily to meet urgent needs. “Until we have that scale of assistance, it’s going to be really, really difficult to control the situation on the ground.”
Smith called for all armed actors to stay away from aid convoys and distribution points.
Over the weekend scores of people were killed when a crowd surged around a WFP food convoy near a Gaza checkpoint.
“We cannot independently verify the death toll,” Smith said, noting WFP staff on the ground reported at least 40 fatalities, though other reports suggest as many as 80. “One death is too many. This is far, far too many.”
He denied any indication the incident was organized by militant groups, instead pointing to growing desperation among civilians. “These were people putting their lives on the line, trying to get something off a truck,” he said.
Fuel shortages and logistical hurdles continue to hamper aid distribution. Since mid-May, the WFP has managed to deliver less than 10 percent of the required food assistance. Smith said the agency has enough supplies pre-positioned outside Gaza to support the entire population for two months — provided a ceasefire is in place and aid routes are secured.
“We have the capacity, but we need a ceasefire,” he added.
The UN does not use armed escorts for its convoys and has no operational relationship with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, Smith confirmed. While the GHF has pushed for collaboration, no agreements are currently in place.
Smith warned that time is running out for thousands at risk of starvation. “Severe acute malnutrition, particularly in children, carries a very high mortality risk. They need treatment immediately,” he said.
The UN continues to press for adherence to existing humanitarian agreements and call for a ceasefire to prevent further tragedy. “Yesterday’s incident is one of the greatest tragedies we’ve seen in Gaza,” Smith said. “It was completely avoidable.”
Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that a new mass displacement order issued by the Israeli military is further eroding Gaza’s already collapsing humanitarian infrastructure.
The directive, covering four neighborhoods in Deir Al-Balah, has forced thousands to flee, with an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 people in the affected area at the time of the order, including 30,000 already displaced sheltering at 57 sites.
UN staff remain stationed at dozens of locations within the area, and OCHA has stressed that all civilian and humanitarian sites must be protected regardless of military operations.
The order encompasses critical infrastructure, including four health clinics, humanitarian warehouses, and essential water systems such as Gaza’s Southern Desalination Plant. OCHA warned that any damage to these facilities could have life-threatening consequences for civilians.
Nearly 88 percent of the Gaza Strip now falls under displacement orders or Israeli-controlled zones, effectively confining 2.1 million people to just 12 percent of the territory.
By cutting across Deir Al-Balah to the Mediterranean, the order further fragments the enclave, choking off humanitarian access.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed serious concern over the latest Israeli evacuation order. He said UN staff remain in the area, despite two UN guesthouses being hit in recent days, even after their coordinates had been shared with the relevant parties.
“These sites must be protected,” Guterres said, calling once again for the protection of civilians, humanitarian personnel, and infrastructure. He reiterated his urgent appeal for unimpeded delivery of aid and repeated his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
Guterres condemned growing reports of malnutrition among children and adults, and denounced the continued violence — including against people trying to access food.
“Civilians must never be targeted,” Guterres said, adding that Israel is obligated under international law to facilitate humanitarian relief. He stressed that the population remains gravely undersupplied with essentials such as food, water, and medicine.
