UN Warns Entire Gaza Population at Risk of Famine as Ceasefire Efforts Stall

 Gaza City | May 31, 2025 — The United Nations has issued a grave warning, declaring Gaza “the hungriest place on Earth,” with the entire population now considered at risk of famine. The alarming assessment comes as humanitarian access remains severely restricted, aid deliveries struggle to reach those in need, and ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas continue to falter.

Speaking from Geneva on Friday, Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said Gaza represents a uniquely dire situation.
“It is the only defined territory in the world where 100 percent of the population is at risk of famine,” Laerke said. “Gaza is the hungriest place on Earth.”

Laerke underscored the severe operational challenges faced by humanitarian agencies. Of the 900 aid trucks approved by Israel since a partial easing of the blockade, only about 600 had crossed into Gaza, and fewer still had reached distribution points.
“We are operating in what can only be described as an aid delivery straitjacket,” he said. “This is among the most obstructed humanitarian operations in recent history.”

Once inside Gaza, aid convoys are often overwhelmed by desperate civilians, making orderly distribution difficult. Security incidents, including a raid on a warehouse at a field hospital in Deir al-Balah by armed individuals, have further complicated relief efforts. The raid resulted in the loss of critical medical supplies, including nutrition products intended for children suffering from acute malnutrition.

Israeli officials have pushed back against the UN’s assessment. Daniel Meron, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, accused international agencies of bias.
“UN agencies cherry-pick facts to create an alternate reality and vilify Israel,” he said in a statement. “While the UN feeds Hamas, Israel and its partners ensure aid reaches civilians in need.”

Despite the deepening humanitarian crisis, efforts to broker a ceasefire remain stalled. Hamas said Friday it was still reviewing Israel’s response to a U.S.-backed proposal, but officials within the group described the draft as failing to meet any of their “just and legitimate” demands. The proposal, reportedly presented by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, has been accepted by the Israeli government in principle.

Major sticking points remain. Israel insists on the complete dismantling of Hamas’s military and political structure, and the return of all 58 remaining hostages as a precondition to ending its military campaign. Hamas, in turn, demands a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war, while rejecting calls to disarm.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces mounting political pressure from both domestic and international quarters. On Thursday, he told families of Israeli hostages that his government had accepted the draft deal. However, far-right members of his governing coalition continue to oppose any ceasefire that leaves Hamas intact.

Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir renewed calls for an escalation.
“After Hamas again rejected the proposal, there are no more excuses,” he said in a message posted on Telegram. “It’s time to act with full force and destroy Hamas entirely.”

Meanwhile, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)—a U.S.-backed initiative endorsed by Israel—has opened a third aid distribution point. GHF says it has delivered 1.8 million meals so far, with plans to expand in the coming weeks. However, UN officials and aid groups have criticized the initiative as inadequate, warning that requiring people to collect aid in person exposes them to danger and potential looting.
“It’s tragic and profoundly unhumanitarian,” Laerke said.

Tensions escalated further this week when Israeli forces opened fire near a GHF aid distribution site, killing at least one civilian and injuring dozens. The incident has drawn renewed international scrutiny and calls for more effective humanitarian access.

French President Emmanuel Macron added to the chorus of concern during a major defense forum in Singapore on Friday.
“If we abandon Gaza, if we give Israel a free pass, even while condemning terrorism, we undermine our credibility,” Macron warned. He called recognition of a Palestinian state not only a moral imperative but a political necessity.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry swiftly condemned Macron’s remarks, accusing him of leading “a crusade against the Jewish state.”
“There is no humanitarian blockade—this is a blatant lie,” the ministry said. “But instead of pressuring jihadist terrorists, Macron wants to reward them with a Palestinian state.”

As diplomatic tensions rise, the conflict on the ground continues unabated. Israeli airstrikes on Friday reportedly killed at least 14 people in the Jabaliya refugee camp. A day earlier, strikes in Bureij camp and other parts of central Gaza claimed the lives of 45 Palestinians, according to local medical officials.

Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the capture of 251 hostages. Since then, over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and large parts of the territory have been reduced to rubble.

The humanitarian crisis, political gridlock, and continued violence now present one of the most severe and complex challenges in the region’s modern history.