In response to the latest IPC report on the level of food insecurity in Gaza, CARE's Interim Country Director for West Bank and Gaza, Daw Mohamed said:
"Too often, in recent decades, the international community has failed to truly recognize the depth of suffering caused by hunger, focusing on terminology instead of on humanity.
Data on food insecurity serve a purpose, helping the humanitarian community shape its response. But the process to determine the difference between famine or catastrophic food insecurity is irrelevant for Palestinian people in Gaza, too many of whom have starved to death or will never fully recover from the ravages of hunger.
The scale and intensity of hostilities, as we enter the ninth month of hell for people in Gaza, make data collection a life-threatening exercise and survival an hourly battle. Rather than wait for a determination of famine, we must listen to the call of humanity and act now.
We need an immediate and sustained ceasefire, a massive increase in the safe flow of aid and aid workers into and around Gaza, access to water, fuel and basic healthcare services for all people, and the release of all hostages. There is no more time to wait."
For media inquiries, please contact Kate Wiggans, Senior Humanitarian Communications Coordinator, CARE International via: [email protected]