GAZA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on Monday that there has been a significant increase in food prices in the Gaza Strip, as the besieged enclave is rapidly marching towards famine.
In a statement, the UNRWA said "essential goods in northern Gaza have become 25 times more expensive than before the war, with the price of a 25-kilogram bag of flour exceeding 400 U.S. dollars."
On Sunday, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini reported that Israel had informed his organization of its refusal to allow convoys of aid belonging to the UNRWA to enter northern Gaza.
He denounced this act as "outrageous" and "intentional to obstruct life-saving assistance during a man-made famine," stressing the need to lift these restrictions.
He warned that preventing UNRWA from fulfilling its mandate in Gaza would lead the clock to "tick faster towards famine."
Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.
The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has climbed to 32,333, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said in a press statement on Monday. ■
