Gaza Herald – The United Nations warned Thursday that Gaza’s humanitarian crisis is deteriorating rapidly, with hunger gripping most families across the devastated Strip. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinians urgently need shelter and basic assistance, while four in five families are facing critical or catastrophic levels of hunger amid Israel’s ongoing genocide.
Hundreds of families are confronting extreme hunger as Gaza’s population becomes increasingly dependent on humanitarian aid. The UN said roughly two-thirds of families are living in tents or makeshift shelters that are rapidly deteriorating under harsh weather conditions.
The humanitarian response is also facing a massive funding gap. Shelter partners need $562 million for an emergency response, but less than a quarter of that amount has been funded. The most vulnerable cases require an additional $165 million in urgent assistance.
The destruction across Gaza is making the crisis even worse. UN efforts to clear rubble and recover the bodies of Palestinians killed under collapsed buildings remain severely restricted because heavy equipment and essential supplies are being blocked from entering the Strip.
The UN again called for the protection of Palestinian civilians and Gaza’s civilian infrastructure. Its warnings come as families struggle to survive without adequate food, shelter, clean water, and basic necessities after months of devastation.
UN peacekeepers, Dujarric, warned that escalating attacks across the Middle East are damaging the global economy and urged an immediate return to negotiations. The UN’s warning comes as regional tensions continue to deepen, with civilians across the region bearing the consequences of prolonged military escalation.
