{"id":49202,"date":"2025-10-27T16:03:29","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T10:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=49202"},"modified":"2025-10-30T16:10:37","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T10:40:37","slug":"un-official-gaza-hunger-crisis-is-human-made-not-natural","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/un-official-gaza-hunger-crisis-is-human-made-not-natural\/","title":{"rendered":"UN Official: Gaza Hunger Crisis is Human-Made, Not Natural"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Gaza Hunger Crisis Latest News<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Around 50 people were shot and injured in Rafah recently as thousands of Palestinians crowded a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution site amid severe food shortages.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Gaza had faced a total blockade for nearly three months.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/the-united-nations-relief-and-works-agency-for-palestine-refugees-in-the-near-east-unrwa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)<\/a>\u00a0has distanced itself from GHF, and the NGO\u2019s head, Jake Wood, resigned on May 25, citing violations of humanitarian principles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Famine Looms Over Gaza: A Human-Made Crisis<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Since the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report on May 12, conditions in Gaza have deteriorated rapidly.\n<ul>\n<li>IPC is\u00a0a global, multi-stakeholder initiative that provides a framework for analyzing and classifying the severity and magnitude of food insecurity and malnutrition.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>It involves governments, UN agencies, NGOs, civil society, and other relevant actors working together.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Impact of the Ceasefire and Blockade<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>During the January 19\u2013March 18 ceasefire, aid was scaled up to minimal acceptable levels, temporarily easing hunger.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>However, following the ceasefire\u2019s collapse and the renewed blockade, aid deliveries stopped for nearly 11 weeks, pushing Gaza into acute food insecurity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Violation of International Law<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The denial of food aid violates international humanitarian law, specifically\u00a0<strong>Article 54 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions<\/strong>, which prohibits starvation as a method of warfare.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Using food as leverage for political or military gains is unlawful.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Gaza Aid Still Far Below Minimum Needs<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Recently, Israel reported that 665 aid trucks had entered Gaza. However, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/un-world-food-programme-wfp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">UN World Food Programme<\/a>\u00a0deemed this a &#8220;drop in the bucket.&#8221;\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Gaza requires a minimum of 500\u2013600 aid trucks per day to meet survival needs. Confusion persists about how many trucks actually reach civilians, with past inspection rules forcing trucks to be half-empty, possibly still in practice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Why the UN and NGOs Rejected GHF\u2019s Aid Model<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>UN and aid agencies refuse to partner with the GHF because its collection-point model violates key humanitarian principles\u2014humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Aid must reach all in need, including the disabled and immobile, not just those who can travel to distribution hubs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Risks of Forced Displacement<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Restricting aid to certain locations encourages further displacement.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Already, Gazans have been displaced once a month on average since the war began, often to so-called &#8220;safe zones&#8221; that are unsafe in reality.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>This approach undermines both aid access and human dignity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Legal Ban on UNRWA Disrupts Critical Services<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Two Israeli laws enacted in October 2024, effective from January 2025, have severely disrupted UNRWA\u2019s operations, particularly in East Jerusalem and across the Palestinian territories.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Impact in East Jerusalem<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>UNRWA was prohibited from operating in what Israel considers its sovereign territory, including East Jerusalem, which international law views as occupied.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>As a result:\n<ul>\n<li>Visas of international staff were curtailed<\/li>\n<li>UNRWA\u2019s facilities were vacated<\/li>\n<li>Schools were forcibly closed, affecting around 800 students<\/li>\n<li>There is a looming threat of clinic closures, impacting over 70,000 Palestinians<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Operational Breakdown in West Bank and Gaza<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>A second law barred all direct contact between UNRWA and Israeli officials, dismantling vital coordination systems.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>UNRWA\u2019s Ongoing Role in Gaza<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>UNRWA remains fully operational in Gaza, as the Israeli legal ban applies only to Israel\u2019s sovereign territories.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>It is the largest humanitarian agency in the Strip, with 12,000 staff members, compared to just 300 across the rest of the UN system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Key Services Provided<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Logistics &amp; Aid Distribution<\/strong>: Operates warehouses and manages a wide aid distribution network.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mobile Healthcare<\/strong>: UNRWA staff provide tent-to-tent medical services and have established mobile healthcare points.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Education &amp; Psychosocial Support<\/strong>: Over 20,000 children participate in the \u2018Back to Learning\u2019 initiative offering basic education, play, and psychological care.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sanitation<\/strong>: Labourers clean refugee camps and collect waste, though UNRWA does not manage the camps, only services them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Accountability &amp; Neutrality Measures<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>UNRWA maintains strict neutrality protocols.<\/li>\n<li>Allegations are addressed through internal disciplinary action.<\/li>\n<li>Of 19 staff members accused by Israel in 2023, UNRWA suspended all immediately, and UN oversight took charge of investigations.<\/li>\n<li>Evidence was scarce, but nine terminations were upheld based on a balance of probability, though no specific breaches were clearly substantiated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>India\u2019s Potential Role in Gaza Crisis<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Countries like India, which support multilateralism, can play a vital role by advocating for international law and ensuring that the decisions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the UN General Assembly are upheld in Gaza.<\/li>\n<li>While multilateralism is not flawless, it remains the best available system to maintain global order. Undermining it would lead to a more dangerous world.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Gaza Hunger Crisis FAQs<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q1.<\/strong>\u00a0What triggered Gaza\u2019s hunger crisis?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong>\u00a0Blockades and disrupted aid after the ceasefire led to severe food shortages and potential famine conditions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2.<\/strong>\u00a0What is the required daily aid for Gaza?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong>\u00a0Gaza needs 500\u2013600 aid trucks daily, but current deliveries fall far short, worsening humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3.<\/strong>\u00a0Why did UN reject GHF aid model?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong>\u00a0GHF\u2019s limited access points violated humanitarian principles, excluding immobile individuals and increasing forced displacement risk.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4.<\/strong>\u00a0How has Israel\u2019s law affected UNRWA?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong>\u00a0Laws banned UNRWA from East Jerusalem, disrupted schooling, clinics, and coordination with Israeli forces in Gaza.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q5.<\/strong>\u00a0What role can India play in Gaza?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong>\u00a0India can support international law and multilateralism, advocating for UN and ICJ decisions to be enforced.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-global\/hunger-crisis-gaza-unrwa-10039021\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/news-today\/gaza-population-famine-risk-global-hunger-monitor-9998321\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UN calls Gaza\u2019s food crisis a man-made tragedy amid blockades and aid restrictions, risking famine and violating international law.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":49146,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[671,60,22,668],"class_list":{"0":"post-49202","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-gaza-hunger-crisis","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-afffairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49202\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}