Gaza Slides Into “Unprecedented Levels of Hunger"

The W.F.P. had suspended its deliveries for the past three weeks because of safety concerns, and on Sunday the agency tried to restart them, but “crowds of hungry people” surrounded the initial convoy as it was going to Gaza City, and aid workers were forced to fend off people trying to climb onto the trucks, the organization said in a statement.

The W.F.P. said it did not take the decision to suspend deliveries in Gaza’s north lightly, adding that it meant “more people risk dying of hunger.”

“W.F.P. is deeply committed to urgently reaching desperate people across Gaza but the safety and security to deliver critical food aid — and for the people receiving it — must be ensured,” the statement said.

It cited the “unprecedented levels of desperation” witnessed by its teams as evidence of Gaza’s “precipitous slide into hunger” and pointed to a U.N. report published on Monday that said acute malnutrition had surged in the northern part of the enclave.