A senior US humanitarian official stated that famine is already occurring in parts of Gaza, weeks after a UN-backed report made the same conclusion and following months of warnings from aid agencies over the dire conditions in the war-torn Strip.
US Agency for International Development (USAID) chief Samantha Power’s admission came on Wednesday when she was questioned by a Democratic congressman about a leaked USAID cable which said that famine was likely already happening in parts of Gaza.
Power said it was “credible” that famine is already occurring in parts of Gaza in line with an Integrated Food Classification (IPC) assessment from mid-March which determined that famine was ‘imminent’ in the northern governorates and could occur by May.
While humanitarian experts have maintained for weeks that Gaza’s population is on the brink of famine, Power’s remark is the first time it has been confirmed publicly by a US official that famine is taking place…..more