New York: The UN Security Council convened to address the Middle East situation, with a focus on the Palestinian issue and the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the Council received briefings from Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and Angelica Jacombe, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Office in New York. Fletcher asserted that “the Zionist entity is deliberately and shamelessly imposing inhumane conditions” on civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory, warning that “every one of the 2.1 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is at risk of starvation.”

Fletcher highlighted the efforts of the United Nations and its partners to resume large-scale humanitarian assistance across the Strip, stating, “We have strict mechanisms to ensure our aid reaches civilians, but the Zionist entity is preventing us from access and putting its goal of evacuating Gaza’s population before the lives of civilians.” He emphasized that the occupying power must facilitate the provision of aid, criticizing the current distribution mechanism as inadequate.

Fletcher further criticized the Zionist entity’s plan, arguing it “conditions aid on political and military objectives and makes starvation a bargaining chip,” calling for the lifting of the blockade and the protection of civilians.

Angelica Jacom echoed the urgency of the situation, stressing that millions of people in Gaza face severe food insecurity, with the risk of famine imminent. She referenced the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report, confirming the entire population of Gaza remains at risk of famine.

Jacom described the crisis as a “systematic collapse of the basic conditions for survival,” affecting food supplies, health, livelihoods, and the social fabric of the community, leading to widespread despair and devastation.