The WFP warns that a full-blown famine is occurring in Gaza despite new calls for a ceasefire.
The comments have sharply highlighted the scope of the humanitarian crisis that is developing.
In a video aired ahead of Sunday's broadcast, Executive Director Cindy McCain of the WFP stated, "Famine happens whenever you have conflicts like this, and emotions rage high, and things happen in a war."
"I can tell you that there is a famine in the north that is reaching the south. It's a full-blown famine." McCain stated that her comments were based on what WFP personnel had observed on the ground, even though they did not amount to an official proclamation of famine.
She described the situation in Gaza as "horrible." "It's extremely difficult to look at and hear."
McCain stated that because it has been so difficult to send aid to Gaza, the WFP is requesting a truce and "unfettered access" to the region.
Israel has been under growing pressure in recent weeks to permit supplies into Gaza following its military operations that resulted in the deaths of seven employees of the US organization World Central Kitchen.
In response to the strikes on October 7th, which were led by Hamas, Israel launched a military assault on Gaza, sparking a humanitarian crisis that human rights experts have long warned would worsen. As of May 1, Israeli strikes on Gaza had killed almost 34,600 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
There is a hunger crisis in Gaza.
By mid-July, half of Gaza's 2.2 million inhabitants are expected to be in severe famine, unable to meet their basic demands for food.
According to the UN, over 1.9 million Palestinians have been forcefully displaced during the course of the conflict, with many of them taking refuge in small tent camps that are inadequately equipped to provide food or sanitary facilities. According to the health ministry, at least 30 children have already perished in Gaza from malnutrition and dehydration, putting the country's whole population of more than 2.2 million people at risk of starvation.
There are now increasing appeals for a ceasefire as worries about an expected Israeli military attack in Rafah, southern Gaza, grow.
"The Hamas movement is still keen to reach a comprehensive, interconnected agreement that ends the aggression, guarantees withdrawal [of the Israeli military from Gaza], and achieves a serious prisoner exchange deal," stated Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Hamas political bureau, in a statement released on Sunday while negotiations were still ongoing in Cairo.
Stopping "the aggression against our people, which is a fundamental and logical position that lays the foundation for a more stable future," was the mission's stated goal, according to Haniyeh. The delegation was carrying "positive and flexible positions." On Saturday, a Hamas delegation traveled to Egypt to hold talks over a potential cease-fire and hostage agreement.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, accused Hamas of making unreasonable expectations during the discussions in a video statement.
Although "Hamas remained entrenched in its extreme positions, chief among them the demand to withdraw all our forces from the Strip, end the war, and leave Hamas intact," he claimed, Israel has "demonstrated a willingness to go a long way."
Netanyahu went on, "The State of Israel cannot accept this." "Israel will not submit to Hamas's demands for a surrender; instead, it will fight until all of its objectives are met."
According to a senior administration official on Friday, US officials currently estimate that a small number of tents are being built in southern Gaza with the intention of temporarily housing civilians who would be evacuated from Rafah in the event of an incursion by the Israel Defense Forces.
The official did emphasize that there are many fewer tents being constructed than would be required to accommodate the over a million individuals who would need to find shelter.
The official stated of Israeli soldiers, "[There is] no indication that they are imminently able to, willing or ready to go into Rafah. "They're definitely unprepared to look after, feed, and sustain a million and a half people."
A person with knowledge of the situation claims that the Israeli government has briefed humanitarian aid organizations about its plans to evacuate residents from Rafah in recent days. The administration issued a warning that a Rafah operation was planned, but it gave no timetable or indication that it would happen soon.
According to US and Israeli officials, discussions on the specifics would probably come after any possible agreement on a framework that would result in both a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
It would likely take a few more days for Israel and Hamas to negotiate a formal agreement in
the Egyptian capital.
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