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GAZA ON THE BRINK OF FAMINE

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A Palestinian man reacts upon seeing destruction in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Aug.1. The city was hit by Israeli shelling and airstrikes. The president of Caritas Internationalis suggested Israeli and Hamas leaders pick up a pair of binoculars so they could see that “most of your victims are innocent people.” (CNS photo/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa , Reuters) See GAZA-DESPERATION Aug. 1, 2014.

The people of Gaza are facing a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions according to the UN. The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has killed over 22,000 people, mostly civilians, and displaced nearly 2 million more.

The Israeli blockade and the destruction of infrastructure have cut off the supply of food, water, fuel, and medicine to the besieged enclave. As a result, a quarter of households are facing catastrophic conditions, with extreme lack of food and starvation.

Children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and older people are especially vulnerable to the effects of hunger and malnutrition, which can have irreversible consequences for their health and development.

The UN and other humanitarian agencies have called for an immediate ceasefire and the urgent delivery of aid to Gaza, but the situation remains critical. Gaza is at risk of famine if the war does not stop. This is a tragedy that must end now.