Across Gaza, there is hunger. And now
that suffering has a new name, famine. A
United Nationsbacked report says it has
taken hold in parts of the Gaza Strip.
Half a million people are facing
catastrophic shortages of food with the
crisis deepening by the day. And the
United Nations blames Israel, saying it
has blocked aid and used hunger as a
weapon.
>> It is a famine that we could have
prevented if we had been allowed.
Yet food stacks up at borders because of
systematic obstruction by Israel.
It is a famine within a few hundred
meters of food in a fertile land.
Gaza city food is handed out at soup
kitchens. These are meager amounts that
are supposed to sustain a family. The
mortality rate is horrendous. Every day
of 10,000 people, two will die because
of hunger.
When aid does come, there's a scramble
of people running towards pallets
dropped from planes or fighting to get
on the back of lorries to grab a bag of
flour. This man is 75 years old. He is
painfully thin.
>> Before the war, I weighed around 70
kilos.
>> Now, because of malnutrition, my weight
has dropped to just 40.
I suffered both a stroke and a heart
attack.
>> They had to put in a stance to help me
recover. I thank God my organs are still
functioning.
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu dismissed the report as an
outright lie and said the problems in
Gaza are caused by Hamas.
For many Israelis, there is limited
sympathy for Gaza. This sign has just
gone up in Jerusalem's old city.
>> You lived in Gaza? Are you? And here we
meet a father and daughter who lived in
an Israeli settlement inside Gaza until
it was closed 20 years ago. They both
think Gazins should be evicted and that
Israel should take over the territory.
>> If someone
was try to kill your wife or kidnap your
child from the home was you're thinking
about if we hungry or not. Others less
strident but still dubious that Israel
has caused a famine. I
>> I think Israel cares. I think Israelis
in general care and I don't know if any
other country that's fighting a war and
trying to help them at the same time the
the people.
>> The IPC report says death, starvation
and deprivation are evident on the
streets of Gaza. But on the outskirts of
Gaza City, the Israeli military is
slowly massing forces, ready to encircle
this cursed place.
If a ceasefire is not agreed, then this
city of starving people will be attacked
once more. Adam Parson, Sky News,
Jerusalem.