Famine in Gaza

[Anchor]

The hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip is reaching its worst point.

While some countries are dropping relief supplies by parachute, an international organization has warned that one in three residents of Gaza is facing a severe hunger situation known as 'famine,' unable to eat even one meal a day.

KBS correspondent Kim Gae-hyung reports from Dubai.

[Report]

People jump into the water without hesitation towards the relief supplies that have fallen into the sea.

However, there is hardly any edible food, and all they managed to retrieve are just three bags of biscuits.

[Momen Abu Itaiya/Gaza resident: "My son begged me to bring back something to eat, swearing that I would, so I jumped into the sea risking my life."]

This is the scene following parachute aid drops from some countries.

In Gaza, the reality is that people are risking their lives to find food rather than dying of hunger immediately.

International organizations report that currently, one in three residents of Gaza is unable to eat even one meal a day, and at least 16 children under the age of five have died from starvation in the past two weeks.

They stated that the situation is at the worst level of the five stages of hunger, known as 'famine.'

They warned that it is reminiscent of the situation in Ethiopia in the 1980s, where over a million people died from hunger.

[Antoine Renard/WFP Palestine Director: "There is half a million of people that are in famine-like conditions. This is the reality of what we see now on the ground."]

To improve the situation, airdrops alone are not enough—at least 300 truckloads of aid are needed daily. However, humanitarian organizations say that strict Israeli controls make it nearly impossible to deliver aid into Gaza.

As international criticism of Israel intensifies, U.S. President Trump has indicated that he would entrust Israel with building a food distribution center in Gaza.

This is Kim Gae-hyung, KBS News, reporting from Dubai.