Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said in a statement: “As the world watches, our people face daily threats to their very survival,” warning that in the midst of the deteriorating situation, “hope has never been so hard to see. ” he added.
“Humanitarian organizations face the challenge of assisting more than 2 million people, despite staff being killed and displaced, communications disruptions continuing, roads damaged and convoys shot at, and commercial supplies essential. You are given a possible mission. Your chances of survival are slim.”
“Hunger is just around the corner.”
Three months after the horrific attack on October 7, Gaza has become a place of death and despair, with a public health catastrophe unfolding before our eyes, he said.
“Sewage is overflowing and infections are rampant in overcrowded shelters. Amid this chaos, approximately 180 Palestinian women are giving birth every day. People are facing record levels of food insecurity. “Famine is just around the corner,” he said.
However, rocket attacks from insurgents continue to rain down on Israel, and more than 120 people are still being held hostage in the Gaza Strip, he added.
With tensions in the West Bank reaching a boiling point and “the threat of war spilling further into the region” looming, Mr Griffiths said: “Not just for the people of Gaza and its threatened neighbors, “The war must end for the sake of the people of Gaza.” These are the generations to come who will never forget these 90 days of hell and this assault on humanity's most basic commandments. ”
He concluded by calling on the international community to use all possible leverage to end the fighting, meet the essential needs of civilians and secure the release of all hostages.
WHO warns of rapid rise in new coronavirus infections and underreporting
The United Nations health agency, the WHO, acknowledged on Friday that the number of coronavirus cases is rapidly increasing globally and that “further increases in cases are expected” in the Northern Hemisphere during the coming winter season.
The World Health Organization's latest data, covering the four weeks to December 17, shows a 52 per cent increase in infections compared to the previous 28 days.
This equates to 850,000 new reported cases of COVID-19, but WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeyer said the real number is likely much higher. It is said that there is.
“You know, and you've seen in many countries, that there's less coverage around the world, fewer monitoring centers, fewer vaccination centers, and they're being dismantled or closed as well,” he said. Ta. Reporters from Geneva.
“Of course, this leads to an incomplete picture and unfortunately we should expect to see more cases than we have officially reported.”
Most of the infections are caused by a new coronavirus strain called JN.1, which the United Nations health agency is currently examining closely as a “variant of interest.” JN.1 was first detected in the United States and has since reportedly spread to dozens of countries.
It evolved from the Omicron variant that was associated with the peak of coronavirus infections in 2022.
Food price inflation fears ease again: FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported on Friday that the food price index ended the year just over 10% below its December 2022 level, further easing concerns about food price inflation globally.
The monthly value of the traded food basket in December also decreased by about 1.5% compared to the previous month, to an average of 118.5 points.
The most rapid decline was in the international sugar market, which fell approximately 16.6% in December compared to the previous month.
The 2023 index is overall 13.7% lower than the 2022 average, with only the International Sugar Price Index higher throughout the year.
FAO said the decline in sugar prices was mainly due to lower use of sugarcane for ethanol production in India, as well as a strong pace of production in Brazil.
Grain price index rose 1.5% in December, with wheat, maize, rice and parley all rising due to shipment restrictions by exporters. However, this year's grain prices are more than 15% below the 2022 average.