The United Nations (UN) has warned that about a quarter of the population of the Gaza Strip in Palestine is on the verge of famine, and that rapid food supply is urgently needed.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told the UN Security Council on the 27th that at least 576,000 people, or about a quarter of the population of 2.3 million, are on the verge of famine in the Gaza Strip, where the war between Israel and Hamas continues. He warned to take immediate action.

Ramesh Rajasingham, director of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told Reuters that about one in six infants under the age of two in Gaza are suffering from acute malnutrition and that Gaza residents are eating very inadequate and miserable food to survive. etc. were reported. He raised his voice, saying that there are currently significant obstacles in bringing even the bare minimum of supplies into Gaza. He emphasized that border closures, restrictions on movement and communication, and road damage must be addressed immediately in order to move goods. “If fighting continues in the densely populated areas of southern Gaza, almost nothing will be possible,” Rajasingham said, adding, “We once again call for a ceasefire.”

Currently, most of the social infrastructure in the Gaza Strip has been destroyed, leaving a vacuum in infrastructure and manpower to cope with the widespread famine. During the five-month war in Gaza that began after Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on October 7 last year, the Israeli military intensively attacked hospitals, schools, and refugee camps. On this day, Carl Skau, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), also said at the Security Council, “It is difficult for employees to run their businesses. “The risk of famine is increasing,” he said. “Once the ceasefire agreement is signed, we are ready to quickly expand our business and increase its scale.”

Meanwhile, in the hostage and truce negotiations between Israel and Hamas, Reuters reported on the 27th that the 40-day ceasefire agreed upon by the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Israel has been handed over to Hamas and Hamas is reviewing it. According to a document provided by a senior source familiar with the matter, the draft agreement calls for both sides to suspend military operations for 40 days and exchange Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners at a 1:10 ratio. If this plan continues, approximately 40 Israeli hostages and 400 Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released. It is expected that the 40 Israeli hostages will include women, minors under 19, seniors over 50, and patients. During this period, Israel suspended aerial reconnaissance in the Gaza Strip for eight hours during the day, redeployed its troops away from populated areas of the Gaza Strip, and allowed all refugees, except men of military service age, to gradually move to northern Gaza. This is what it says. In addition, the negotiations include expansion of humanitarian aid and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, and 500 trucks, 200,000 tents, and 60,000 residential vehicles will be brought into the Gaza Strip per day.