Risk of famine in Gaza 'alarming': Türkiye's UN envoy

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Türkiye's permanent representative to the UN warned Tuesday of a worsening humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

Sedat Onal told a meeting of the UN Security Council on the maintenance of international peace and security that "2.2 million people in Gaza live in a state of crisis under relentless bombardment, without sufficient humanitarian aid.”

"On top of that, some donors have suspended funding to UNRWA, the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza. The risk of famine in Gaza is alarming," he said.

In the fifth month of the conflict, Onal said the Council is still unable to stop the manmade catastrophe.

"As we speak, a new episode of this tragedy is underway in Rafah in southern Gaza, in spite of the warnings of the international community. The council needs to take heed of the global outcry on Gaza," he added, stressing the expectation from the Council is clear to ensure an immediate cease-fire, unhindered humanitarian assistance and to prevent forced displacement of people.

"Türkiye will continue to be actively engaged in all international efforts towards achieving peace, combating climate change and alleviating global food insecurity," Onal said.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, killing at least 28,473 people and injuring 68,146 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

- 'Türkiye providing care, protection to approximately 9M Syrians'

Turning to the situation in Syria, Onal said that Türkiye continues to pay attention to the country.

"The lives of millions of people still depend on international humanitarian aid," he said.

Referring to "unfounded allegations" of the UN representative of Syria, Onal reminded the Council that Türkiye has been providing care and protection to approximately 9 million Syrians on both sides of the border since the start of the conflict in Syria.

"On transboundary waters, in line with its longstanding and consistent policy, Türkiye approaches the issue from a humanitarian perspective and is sensitive to the needs of the downstream countries.

"Not only upstream countries, but also downstream countries have a responsibility to utilize water in a sustainable and efficient manner in our water-scarce region," he said.

Syria has been mired in a vicious civil war since 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN estimates.

Türkiye is the largest host country for Syrian refugees and provides international protection to nearly 4 million people who fled the neighboring country, according to official figures.