Many in Gaza facing 'famine-like conditions', UN's health agency says | BBC News

Summary

The UN health agency reports catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions in Gaza after months of war, with thousands of children suffering from acute malnutrition. Aid delivery is hindered by ongoing fighting and sanctions on extremist groups. The World Health Organization highlights a dire lack of medical supplies, and the International Court of Justice urges Israel to allow aid. Ceasefire negotiations are stalled, with confusion over hostage numbers and conditions. Escalation at the Israel-Lebanon border adds to the crisis, with France's peace proposal rejected by Israel, citing disagreements over Gaza.

Takeaways

• 🚨 The UN health agency reports catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions in Gaza after eight months of war.
• 🏥 Thousands of children in Gaza have been diagnosed with acute malnutrition.
• 🤝 The G7 leaders have called for more aid to be sent to Gaza without obstacles.
• 🚚 Aid delivery is hindered by increased fighting and infrastructure damage, including the World Food Program's warehouses hit in June.
• 🛃 The US State Department has imposed sanctions on a violent extremist group, Tavf 9, which has looted aid trucks and faces a blockade on aid delivery to Gaza.
• 🗣️ There are conflicting reports and a lack of clarity regarding the number of hostages alive due to ongoing fighting.
• 🏥 The World Health Organization states there is a shortage of medical supplies, and hospitals are not functioning at full capacity.
• 📢 The International Court of Justice has urged Israel to allow aid to reach those in need in Gaza.
• 💔 Reports indicate that people, including children, are dying due to hunger, with one child's death reported recently.
• 🔄 Oxfam has called for immediate action rather than more talks, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
• 🔄 There is a stalemate in progress towards a ceasefire deal, which would also involve facilitating more aid into Gaza.

Q & A

What is the current state of Gaza's population according to the UN's health agency?

A significant proportion of Gaza's population is facing catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions after eight months of war.

What has been the impact of the war on children in Gaza?

Thousands of children have been diagnosed with acute malnutrition due to the ongoing conflict.

What is the current aid situation in Gaza as described by BBC Arabic's Shahata Say?

There are significant problems with aid delivery due to increased fighting and obstacles, including sanctions imposed by the US State Department on a violent extremist group called Tavf 9.

What did the G7 leaders recommend regarding aid to Gaza?

The G7 leaders stated that more aid should be sent to Gaza without any obstacles.

How has the fighting affected the delivery of aid in Gaza?

The fighting, especially in the north, central, and south of Gaza, has created obstacles for aid delivery, with warehouses being hit and increased difficulties in reaching those in need.

What is the situation regarding medical supplies and hospital functionality in Gaza?

The World Health Organization reports a lack of medical supplies, and even though some hospitals have partially reopened, they are not functioning at full capacity.

What has the International Court of Justice called for in relation to Gaza?

The International Court of Justice has called on Israel to allow aid to reach the needy people in Gaza.

What is the current stance of Oxfam on the situation in Gaza?

Oxfam has stated that it is time for action rather than talks, emphasizing that the time for discussions has passed and immediate action is required.

What is the latest information on the hostages in Gaza?

There is confusion about the number of hostages still alive, with Hamas leaders stating that two hostages were recently killed, and the exact number of those who have died or are still alive is unclear due to ongoing fighting.

What are the conditions set by Hamas for a ceasefire deal?

Hamas has set conditions for a ceasefire deal, including the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and an end to the war, which Israel is currently not willing to concede.

What is the current situation on the border with Lebanon and Israel?

The situation has escalated recently with Hezbollah firing 150 rockets against Israeli targets and Israel launching several raids on southern Lebanon. There have been attempts to ease tensions, but Israel has rejected a French proposal for a three-lateral contact group.

Outlines

00:00

🌾 Catastrophic Hunger and Aid Delivery Challenges in Gaza

The UN health agency reports that a significant portion of Gaza's population is experiencing catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions following eight months of war. Thousands of children have been diagnosed with acute malnutrition. BBC Arabic's Shahata Say discusses the current aid situation, noting that aid delivery is hindered by ongoing fighting, especially in northern, central, and southern Gaza. The World Food Program has faced obstacles, including attacks on warehouses. The US State Department has imposed sanctions on a violent extremist group, Tavf 9, which has looted aid trucks and blocked deliveries to Gaza. The World Health Organization highlights a lack of medical supplies, and hospitals are not functioning at full capacity. The International Court of Justice has called on Israel to allow aid to those in need. Oxfam urges action over talks, as the situation is dire with people dying due to hunger. There is also confusion regarding the number of hostages and their status, with reports of some being killed during Israeli raids. The situation is further complicated by the refusal of Israel to end the war and meet Hamas' conditions for a full withdrawal from Gaza.

05:01

🕊️ Efforts to End Hostilities and the Situation at the Israel-Lebanon Border

This paragraph acknowledges the efforts to end hostilities and thanks the contributors for their insights. It also touches upon the situation at the Israel-Lebanon border, which has seen an escalation of violence with exchanges of fire since October 7th. The French President proposed a plan to ease tensions, but it was rejected by the Israeli Defense Minister, who criticized France's stance on Gaza. The minister stated that they cannot accept any French proposal due to disagreements on the Gaza situation. The paragraph concludes with the ongoing tension and the lack of a resolution to the conflict.

Keywords

💡Gaza

Gaza is a region on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, currently administered by the Palestinian Authority. In the context of the video, it is the area where a significant proportion of the population is facing catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions due to ongoing conflict. The script mentions the dire situation in Gaza, with thousands of children diagnosed with acute malnutrition.

💡Acute malnutrition

Acute malnutrition refers to a severe deficiency in a person's intake of nutrients over a short period, leading to significant health risks. The script highlights that thousands of children in Gaza have been diagnosed with this condition, indicating the severity of the humanitarian crisis.

💡Aid delivery

Aid delivery is the process of distributing humanitarian assistance, such as food, medical supplies, and other essentials, to those in need. The script discusses the challenges of aid delivery to Gaza, including obstacles due to increased fighting and the impact of sanctions on certain groups.

💡G7 leaders

The G7 leaders represent the heads of state or government of seven major industrialized countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The script mentions that the G7 leaders have called for more aid to be sent to Gaza without obstacles, indicating international concern for the situation.

💡World Food Program

The World Food Program (WFP) is a United Nations agency that fights hunger and promotes food security. The script cites the WFP's statement about the difficulties in aid delivery due to conflict and the destruction of warehouses, which directly affects the availability of food for the population in Gaza.

💡Sanctions

Sanctions are measures imposed by one or more countries on another country, organization, or individual to achieve certain objectives, often related to policy changes. In the script, the US State Department's sanctions on a violent extremist group called Tavf 9 are mentioned, which has impacted aid delivery to Gaza.

💡Hostages

Hostages are individuals or groups held captive by another party, often as leverage in negotiations or conflicts. The script discusses the confusion surrounding the number of hostages and their status, with reports of some being killed and others still held captive.

💡World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The script notes that the WHO has reported a lack of medical supplies in Gaza, even in partially reopened hospitals, highlighting the health crisis in the region.

💡Internal court of justice

The term likely refers to an internal or domestic judicial body within a country or region. The script mentions that such a court has called on Israel to allow aid for those in need in Gaza, emphasizing the urgency of the humanitarian situation.

💡Oxfam

Oxfam is an international confederation of organizations focused on alleviating global poverty. The script quotes Oxfam as saying that it is time for action, not talks, in response to the ongoing crisis in Gaza, indicating the need for immediate and practical steps to address the situation.

💡Ceasefire deal

A ceasefire deal is an agreement between conflicting parties to stop fighting temporarily or permanently. The script suggests that progress towards a ceasefire deal, which would also involve efforts to get more aid into Gaza, has stalled, indicating ongoing conflict and the difficulty in reaching a resolution.

Highlights

The UN health agency reports significant proportion of Gaza's population facing catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions after eight months of war.

Thousands of children in Gaza diagnosed with acute malnutrition.

Aid delivery to Gaza faces obstacles due to increased fighting in various areas.

G7 leaders call for more aid to reach Gaza without any obstacles.

World Food Program reports warehouses hit twice in June, hindering aid delivery.

US State Department sanctions violent extremist group TAVF 9 for looting aid trucks and blocking deliveries to Gaza.

World Health Organization states lack of medical supplies even in partially reopened hospitals in Gaza.

Internal Court of Justice calls on Israel to allow aid for needy people in Gaza.

Oxfam calls for action, not talks, as talks time is over and action is needed.

Progress towards a ceasefire deal, involving more aid, appears stalled.

Hamas leader AMA Hamdan reports two hostages killed recently in Israeli raid.

Confusion over the number of hostages alive due to ongoing fighting.

Hostage families calling for a deal from Israeli PM Netanyahu, but no deal in foreseeable future.

Israel refusing to end war and concede to Hamas conditions of full withdrawal from Gaza.

Escalation of fighting along the border with Lebanon and Israel in recent days.

Hezbollah fired 150 rockets against Israeli targets; Israel launched raids on southern Lebanon.

French President proposes plan to ease tensions, but Israeli Defense Minister rejects it.

Israeli Defense Minister states France's position on Gaza is against Israel, so cannot accept French proposal to end hostilities.

Transcripts

the un's health agency says a

significant proportion of gaza's

population is facing catastrophic hunger

and famine likee conditions after eight

months of war thousands of children have

been diagnosed with acute malnutrition

with me is BBC Arabic s shahata say

thank you very much for coming in so

tell us a little bit more about the aid

situation at the moment in in Gaza

there's problem of Aid delivery uh the

G7 uh leaders said yesterday they should

be uh more Aid going to Gaza without any

obstacle

uh the world food program uh said uh

that there is it War houses were hit

twice in uh in June in addition to that

there is uh obstacles for Aid delivery

because of increased fighting in

different areas especially in north and

Central and South everywhere in Gaza so

there is problem in Aid delivery uh to

add to that there is the US state

department impose a sanction on a a

violent extremist group is called tavf 9

which uh looted some Aid uh trucks and

blockade made blockade on a delivery to

uh to Gaza because he said he supporting

the uh hostage families and this what

they need but I think there is a

question mark about that uh in addition

to that there is some uh interviews with

the world food program with some people

in Gaza saying they have nothing uh to

eat in addition to the health situation

the World Health Organization says there

is no medical supplies even there's some

hospitals opened again partially like

Indonesian hospitals in the north of

Gaza but still there is no medical

supplies so is not functioning like uh

full capacity uh in addition to that

there is uh even the uh the interal

court of justice called on Israel to

allow aid for the need people in Gaza so

all of that you know like showing that

there is problem uh in delivering Aid to

people in Gaza people dying and there is

one report a child died yesterday

because of like hunger and there is tens

of children are facing that so the

hunger looming there is problems people

dying people suffering so there is

pressure and Oxfam in this context said

it's a time to action not talks because

talks time is is is over so now is

action time and it seems as though any

progress towards a ceasefire deal which

would also involve trying to get more

Aid in seems to stalled tell tell us a

bit about the situation with the

hostages because there's some some

confusion about how many hostages are

are actually still alive tell us what

what we think the latest is on that yeah

the leaders of Hamas one of them is AMA

hamdan talk to CNN and said like there

two uh hostages were killed RAF recently

because of Israeli raid according to him

and they said no military leaders in

Hamas know how many people of the

hostages died and how how many of them

like still alive so it's confusion

because of the fighting and where the

talks sto so there's a problem because

there is even like there is isra isi

managed to release four hostages in

operation but the result of it was

killing more than 200 people according

to the Hamas Health uh Ministry in Gaza

so the hostage situation is is dire and

is a problematic and the hostage family

calling for Mr Netanyahu to have a deal

but all indicators there is no deal in

the foreseeable future because of the

fighting going on and Israel refusing to

end the war and to uh concede to Hamas

conditions of full withdrawal of Israeli

forces from Gaza in addition to that end

of all end of the war and Israel not

willing to do that as a time as this

time and at the moment we don't we

haven't heard the response really

properly from from Hamas either have we

on on the hisbah um situation the border

with Lebanon and Israel the fighting's

been going on through throughout this

period since since October 7th hasn't it

there's been exchanges of fire in that

situation what's the situation there now

and has that has that got worse yeah it

has been the recent days has seen

witness escalation uh one of the example

in on Thursday hasbullah fired 150

Rockets against Israeli targets and

Israel also made several launched

several raids on uh Southern uh part of

of Lebanon in this context you know Mr

uh macro the French President made a

plan for to help to ease a tension and

for the growing tension between his and

and Israel but you have Gant the Israeli

defense minister rejected the French

proposal which is three lateral uh

contact group of France United States

and Israel and from the other side

United States France and hisbah to uh to

Lebanon Sor and Lebanon to try to ease

the tension between them but Israel

refusing that because you afghanan

Minister the Israeli Minister of Defense

said uh uh France position on Gaza is

not is against Israel and in this case

we cannot accept uh any french proposal

to end hostilities s thank you very much

for coming to Tes thank you