“(The situation) is devastating. There is very severe malnutrition. I’ve seen people die of hunger,” she said in an interview with the NHK TV channel in Japan.
McCain said the UN World Food Program is “the largest, greatest and only one that can deliver the large-scale food Gaza needs,” but humanitarian activities are hampered by the actions of Israeli soldiers.
“It’s very difficult for them to point their guns at us, tanks, etc.” she added.
Since March 2, 2025, aid from international humanitarian organisations and UN agencies has stopped reaching the Gaza Strip. In May, Israel, with US support, established a new scheme to organize food delivery to strip residents as an alternative to traditional aid distribution systems. The new scheme included establishing a distribution centre and assigning virtually exclusive rights to distribute food and essential goods to the Private Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The plan has been criticized by international organizations, and the key point of criticism is the location of the distribution centre in the “safe zone” of South Gaza, where there is no hostilities. Experts say this could lead to forced displacement of the residents of the enclave. The provision of aid by UN agencies has been partially resumed, but limited operations are underway.
More than 62,000 Palestinians have been injured in the enclave as a result of hostilities, according to the latest data from the Gaza Ministry of Health. Additionally, another 270 residents, including 112 children, died of starvation.
MNA/