Latest news with #famine
The National
10 hours ago
- General
- The National
Gaza's children yearn for simple treats parents can can no longer provide
In a quiet corner of Gaza city, Muneera Abu Hani sits with her eight children, their eyes reflecting a longing no parent wants to face. Her youngest daughter, Widad, dreams of chocolate, a small treat once easily attainable but now entirely out of reach. 'Widad is just eight,' Ms Abu Hani, 42, told The National. 'She loves chocolate and asks me for it all the time. But it's not in the markets any more. And there's nothing harder than seeing your child want something so small, and not being able to give it.' This is the daily torment facing parents across Gaza with the territory under siege. For more than 20 months, Gaza has faced not only war but a tightening blockade that has choked the economy, emptied markets and made even essentials hard to come by. With border crossings closed to the free flow of goods, what were once daily provisions such as bread or fruit have become a luxury, a distant memory. 'Children suffer the most in a famine,' Ms Abu Hani says. 'They don't understand why things have disappeared. They only know they're hungry, or that they want something. And we, their parents, are powerless.' In the Al Nasr neighbourhood of the city, Mohammed Shubeir recounts a similar struggle. 'I live in an apartment full of children. They ask for everything, things they used to eat every day. The markets are empty of even the basics,' says Mr Shubeir, 36. 'We passed a street stall the other day that had a single small piece of chocolate. It used to cost a quarter of a dollar. Now it's 12 dollars.' It is a steep price for a bite of sweetness that, to a child, means comfort, normality, happiness. 'These traders hoarded goods to sell them now at sky-high prices," Mr Shubeir says. "When my kids ask for things that I can't find or can't afford, I just tell them to wait until the crossings open. But they keep asking, and I have nothing. That helplessness is the worst feeling in the world.' Rima Al Madhoun, 33, says her son Kareem wakes up asking for chips and juice. 'I have nothing, just bread and cold tea without sugar. That's all we have,' she says. Her husband roams the markets daily, trying to find anything – vegetables, fruit, baby food – for their four children, the youngest just one year old. 'It's not like our children are asking for toys or luxuries,' Ms Al Madhoun says. 'They just want vegetables. Some fruit. Something fresh. But we can't get anything. Even if you had money, there's nothing to buy.' The devastating war has created a grim reality for Gaza's children, displaced from their homes, their education disrupted, surrounded by death and living in a landscape of widespread destruction. 'The occupation has stolen everything from our children,' says Ms Abu Hani. 'Even the right to want something.' Parents find themselves no longer decision-makers; they are spectators to their children's suffering, able only to offer apologies and empty promises when all their children want is food. It is a slow, silent heartbreak to be endured in the shadow of a war with no end in sight.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Aid minister says situation in Gaza is so dire that she ‘would loot too'
The international aid minister has said the situation in Gaza is so dire that she 'would loot too' if she was there. said the situation is 'horrific… we have severely malnourished children who are susceptible to disease'. 'There is every likelihood that if aid doesn't go in quickly, we will be in the situation of famine, probably in the autumn,' Baroness Chapman added. She said: 'Keeping order is very, very difficult, and if you are starving and there is a truck of food… I would loot, who wouldn't?'If you need to feed your child.'
The Australian
2 days ago
- Health
- The Australian
Haiti in danger as UN flags extreme famine risk
Haiti is among five regions at imminent risk of famine, according to a new United Nations report that paints a stark picture of global hunger. The Hunger Hotspots report, released Monday by the UN and World Food Programme, identifies Gaza, Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali as facing the most critical hunger emergencies, warning of famine without urgent humanitarian action. In Haiti, gang violence and economic collapse have displaced thousands, compounding what the UN calls a 'red alert' crisis. More than 8,000 Haitians are suffering extreme food insecurity. From a tent settlement in Port-au-Prince, local resident Schneider told Reuters that many families go an entire day without food. "There is no government support. Hunger is ravaging us." Renette, a mother trying to feed her children, broke down: "I haven't given them anything since this morning. The famine is hard, we are about to die." A famine is officially declared when 20% of people face acute food shortages, 30% of children are acutely malnourished, and two in 10,000 people die each day from starvation or related diseases. The UN report also warns that insecurity and funding shortfalls are making aid delivery nearly impossible in high-risk regions. While countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, and Lebanon have improved and were removed from the critical list, 13 nations remain extreme hunger hot spots, with Haiti's crisis worsening rapidly.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hunger crisis deepens in Haiti, a UN-declared famine hot spot
STORY: Extreme hunger is worsening in 13 global hot spots. A joint United Nations and World Food Programme report on Monday warned that places like Gaza, Sudan, and Haiti are at immediate risk of famine without urgent intervention. The 'Hunger Hotspots' report blames conflict, economic shocks, and climate risks for hunger crises in the hardest-hit regions. A famine is declared when 20% of people face severe food shortages, 30% of children are malnourished,- -and two in 10,000 die daily from starvation or disease. Reuters was in Haiti, one of the places at immediate risk. Gang violence has displaced thousands here, with more than 8,000 people facing severe hunger, according to the report. Standing outside tents in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, local resident Schneider says hunger is ravaging the Haitian community, with many going all day without food, and he says there is no government support. While trying to find food to feed her children, Renette tells Reuters how serious the hunger crisis is for her: 'The famine is hard in Port-au-Prince. I am about to die, the kids are about to die. I have nobody, I have no one to call. Since this morning I haven't given them anything yet. Where you see me sitting now, it's thanks to some neighbors. I will go and check to get something to cook, to feed them, but I don't see how because the famine is hard, the famine is hard. We are about to die.' The report predicts food crises in the next five months and said that aid delivery was being undermined by insecurity and funding gaps. A World Food Programme executive warned that this was a red alert and said, "Without funding and access, we cannot save lives." Some countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, and Lebanon have improved and were removed from the Hunger Hotspots list.
Arab News
4 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Hunger crisis deepens in global hotspots as famine risk rises, UN warns
ROME: Extreme hunger is intensifying in 13 global hot spots, with Gaza, Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali at immediate risk of famine without urgent humanitarian intervention, a joint UN report warned on Monday. The 'Hunger Hotspots' report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme blamed conflict, economic shocks, and climate-related hazards for conditions in the worst-hit areas. The report predicts food crises in the next five months. It called for investment and help to ensure aid delivery, which it said was being undermined by insecurity and funding gaps. 'This report is a red alert. We know where hunger is rising and we know who is at risk,' said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain. 'Without funding and access, we cannot save lives.' For famine to be declared, at least 20 percent of the population in an area must be suffering extreme food shortages, with 30 percent of children acutely malnourished and two people out of every 10,000 dying daily from starvation or malnutrition and disease. In Sudan, where famine was confirmed in 2024, the crisis is expected to persist due to conflict and displacement, with almost 25 million people at risk. South Sudan, hit by flooding and political instability, could see up to 7.7 million people in crisis, with 63,000 in famine-like conditions, the report said. In Gaza, Israel's continued military operations and blockade have left the entire population of 2.1 million people facing acute food insecurity, with nearly half a million at risk of famine by the end of September, the report said. In Haiti, escalating gang violence has displaced thousands, with 8,400 already facing catastrophic hunger, while in Mali, conflict and high grain prices put 2,600 people at risk of starvation by the end of August. Other countries of high concern include Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, and Nigeria. 'Protecting people's farms and animals to ensure they can keep producing food where they are, even in the toughest and harshest conditions, is not just urgent — it is essential,' said FAO Director General QU Dongyu. Some countries, such as Ethiopia, Kenya, and Lebanon, have improved and have been removed from the FAO and WFP's Hunger Hotspots list. The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Monday it was drastically scaling back its global humanitarian aid plans because of the 'deepest funding cuts ever' — leaving tens of millions of people facing dire straits. OCHA said it was seeking $29 billion in funding for 2025 compared to the $44 billion requested initially in December, in a 'hyper-prioritized' appeal. 'Brutal funding cuts leave us with brutal choices,' OCHA chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement. 'All we ask is 1 percent of what you chose to spend last year on war. But this isn't just an appeal for money it's a call for global responsibility, human solidarity, and a commitment to end the suffering.' In late April, while visiting a hospital in Kandahar in Afghanistan, Fletcher warned: 'Cutting funding for those in greatest need is not something to boast about ... The impact of aid cuts is that millions die.' With 2025 nearly halfway through, the UN has received only $5.6 billion out of the $44 billion sought initially for this year — a mere 13 percent. In total, the original plan covered more than 70 countries and aimed to assist nearly 190 million vulnerable people. Even so, that plan acknowledged there were 115 million people the UN could not reach. 'We have been forced into a triage of human survival,' Fletcher said on Monday. The mathematics 'is cruel, and the consequences are heartbreaking.' 'Too many people will not get the support they need, but we will save as many lives as we can with the resources we are given,' he said. Aid will now be directed so that it can 'reach the people and places facing the most urgent needs,' with those in 'extreme or catastrophic conditions' as the starting point, said Fletcher. 'This will ensure that limited resources are directed where they can do the most good — as quickly as possible,' the statement said.
