New York (UNA/WAFA) – The UN Security Council discussed in a session held on Tuesday evening the catastrophic conditions and risks of famine in the Gaza Strip.

The session was held at the request of Algeria, Guyana, Slovenia and Switzerland, following the recent report issued by the Famine Review Committee of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (a team of senior independent international experts in the field of food security, nutrition and mortality), which warned of an imminent and significant possibility of famine in the northern Gaza Strip due to the rapidly deteriorating situation in the Strip.

The Council heard briefings from officials from the UN Human Rights Office, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

In her briefing, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ilze Brands Kehris said that the humanitarian and human rights conditions of Palestinian civilians throughout Gaza are catastrophic.

She pointed out that the figures documented by the UN Human Rights Office indicate that nearly 70% of the martyrs in Gaza are women and children, adding that it is likely that “many of the dead and wounded are still under the rubble.”

The UN official referred to the displacement of nearly 1.9 million people, “many of whom have been displaced multiple times, including pregnant women, people with disabilities, the elderly and children.”

She stated that the Israeli raids on shelters and residential buildings lead to the killing of an unreasonable number of civilians, “which proves that there is no safe place in Gaza.”

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