“No Government Can Say: We Did Not Know,” Says Lazzarini on Gaza Famine

Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), has voiced his deep concern over the international community’s inaction regarding the famine gripping the Gaza Strip, worsened by the humanitarian blockade. He described this inaction as an “unbearable indifference.”

“No government can say:  we did not know. The lack of action turns into an unbearable indifference towards a manmade starvation,” Lazzarini expressed with urgency in a message shared on social media on Wednesday evening.

He emphasized that “The solution is known to all: Israel must lift the siege on the children of Gaza now.”

Since March 2, the humanitarian blockade imposed by the occupying forces has severely restricted access to essential supplies. The resulting shortages of food and medicine have plunged an already dire situation into further chaos in the Palestinian Territory, which has been subjected to genocidal aggression since October 7, 2023.

For weeks, UN officials and NGOs have been sounding the alarm about the critical lack of food, medicine, and fuel in Gaza, where humanitarian aid is vital for the 2.4 million residents. According to a report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) published on Monday, Gaza is currently facing “a critical risk of famine.”