A senior US State Department official said on Friday that famine poses a danger and a “possibility” in at least some areas in northern Gaza.
The official added, “Famine is a great danger in southern and central Gaza, but it did not happen,” noting that “the number of trucks loaded with humanitarian aid is limited at the present time, which limits the distribution capacity in southern and central Gaza.”
The official stressed that “the United States is strongly focused on mobilizing the efforts of the international community and partnerships to help the United Nations obtain additional trucks to assist Gaza.”
He continued, “The number of aid trucks distributed in southern and central Gaza is close to 200, and there is still a need for more.”
The American official indicated that “the United States hopes to open the sea aid corridor between mid- and late April.”
Regarding Rafah, the senior official said, “The United States has been informed of some aspects of the Israeli humanitarian plan for a possible attack on Rafah, but a comprehensive attack has not yet been seen.”
Israel says it is planning to launch a ground attack on Rafah, in the far south of the Strip, indicating that it believes that most Hamas militants are taking shelter there.
The United States, its closest ally and main arms supplier, opposes such an attack, saying it would cause great harm to civilians who have taken refuge in the south.
More than five months after the war waged by Israel against Hamas, a global body concerned with food security warned in a report that famine was imminent in areas of Gaza, where more than three-quarters of the population were forced to leave their homes.
The war broke out after an attack by Hamas on population centers in southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli statistics.
According to Gaza health authorities, the Israeli attack on Gaza killed more than 32,000 people.
ظهرت في الأصل على www.alhurra.com