Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen after the global hunger monitor, Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, said that Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine that will likely spread, in Gaza City, on August 28, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The head of the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) warned Thursday (August 28, 2025) that famine-hit Gaza is “at breaking point”, appealing for the urgent revival of its network of 200 food distribution points.
“Enough is enough,” the WFP’s executive director Cindy McCain said after visiting the besieged Palestinian territory, where Israel is pressing operations in its offensive against Hamas.
“Gaza is at a breaking point. Desperation is soaring — and I saw it firsthand,” Ms. McCain said in a statement.
Editorial | Man-made famine: On the state of Gaza
Her comments come less than a week after the United Nations declared a famine in Gaza, blaming the “systematic obstruction” of humanitarian deliveries by Israel.
Ms. McCain went to Khan Younis and Deir el-Balah, where she visited a nutrition clinic keeping children alive and met with displaced mothers who struggle daily to find scraps of food.
“I met starving children receiving treatment for severe malnutrition — and I saw photos of when they were healthy. Today they are unrecognizable,” Ms. McCain said.
“We must urgently be able to revive our vast and trusted network of 200 food distribution points across the Strip, community kitchens and bakeries. It is urgent that the right conditions are in place so we can reach the most vulnerable and save lives”, she said.
Ms. McCain met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to press for a “surge of food assistance to reach the most vulnerable”.
She also met Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in Ramallah, the WFP said.
“What we need is a ceasefire. My heart goes to the mothers in Gaza, as well as to the mothers of the Israeli hostages, whose children are currently starving,” Ms. McCain said.
Israel, which is preparing to conquer Gaza City, is under mounting pressure both at home and abroad to end its almost two-year campaign.
The U.N. declared a famine in the Gaza governorate last week, but Israel has dismissed the report as “fabricated”.
Published – August 28, 2025 05:25 pm IST
