Gaza's Medical Sector and Food Catastrophe: A Looming Humanitarian Crisis

The ongoing Israeli Aggression has left Gaza's medical sector in shambles and its people on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe.

The situation is dire, with shortages of food, medicine, and other basic supplies affecting the entire population.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has reported that Gaza's entire population is suffering from "catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity".

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that a "public health catastrophe" is imminent in Gaza, with mass displacement, overcrowding, and damage to water and sanitation infrastructure putting civilian lives at risk.

Women, children, and newborns are being disproportionately affected by hostilities, both as casualties and as a result of reduced access to healthcare services.

Pregnant women are unable to access maternity and obstetric services to give birth safely, warn the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, and WHO, and maternal deaths are expected to increase.

International aid agencies have been working to provide assistance to Gaza, but the situation remains dire. Food aid is failing to reach Gaza residents despite the catastrophic hunger crisis.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that food systems in Gaza are collapsing and the food aid entering the enclave is barely 10% of the amount needed for the 2.2 million people there.

The WFP's most recent food security update said the situation is worst in northern Gaza, where 90% of people have gone a full day and night without eating.

Many of Gaza's residents have used social media to vent their frustrations over the lack of supplies and high prices, which they say have become worse since the end of a temporary pause in the fighting in November.

The situation in Gaza is a humanitarian crisis that requires immediate attention.

The United Nations Security Council has backed a resolution calling for a major boost in humanitarian assistance for Gaza.

The international community must come together to provide the necessary aid to prevent a catastrophe in Gaza.