The World Food Programme (WFP) continues to deliver food convoys into Gaza daily, yet Israeli restrictions have slashed aid deliveries to just 47% of the required target, leaving half a million Palestinians on the brink of famine. Despite dispatching over 800 trucks since late July, these supplies cover barely a fraction of the 62,000 metric tons needed monthly to avert mass starvation. WFP stresses that organized distributions, bakeries, and community kitchens remain shuttered due to systematic aid obstruction and militarized routes.
According to the latest UN assessment, Gaza now meets two of three famine criteria, with 39% of the population enduring days without food and 500,000 people facing catastrophic hunger. Acute malnutrition among children under five has quadrupled in Gaza City, reaching 16.5%, while over 320,000 children risk severe malnutrition-related death. UN agencies confirm this crisis stems not from food scarcity but from Israel’s deliberate blockade, which has collapsed local food systems and inflated flour prices by 3,000% since February.
WFP convoys face lethal obstacles: Israeli forces routinely turn back trucks at crossings (266 rejected since July 27), impose last-minute route changes, and permit only 60 vetted drivers for all Gaza operations. Military activities near distribution points have killed 1,760 Palestinians seeking aid since May, including attacks on U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites. Desperate civilians now intercept trucks, as bakeries lack flour and hot meal kitchens serve "pasta floating in hot water".
At least 222 Palestinians, including 101 children, have died of starvation since June, a figure rising daily. Hospitals report collapsing medical staff and malnourished blood donors, while only 15% of nutrition centers remain functional. The al-Aqsa Hospital documented four more starvation deaths on Sunday, including five-year-old Mohammed Zakaria Khader. UNRWA warns: "Children in Gaza are dying from starvation and bombardments. Entire families are being wiped out".
WFP asserts that only an immediate ceasefire can enable the 100 daily aid trucks required to flood Gaza with food. The agency has 170,000 metric tons of supplies stockpiled near borders, enough to feed all 2.1 million residents for three months, but Israel restricts access to just two crossings. UN officials condemn the blockade as a violation of international law, with former WFP director Ertharin Cousin stressing: "Starvation is a political choice".