The East African country faced famine in 2022, but a scale-up in humanitarian assistance helped to avert catastrophe.

Today, food insecurity on the increase once again, with 3.4 million people already acutely food insecure. That number is projected to rise by a full million, to 4.4 million between April and June – nearly a quarter of the population.

According to the international food security classification system IPC, acute hunger is level three on a scale of one to five, with level five denoting famine and level four, severe acute malnutrition.

High risk of mortality

WFP believes that about 1.26 million children under the age of five need immediate support. Of that number, 466,000 will likely be severely acutely malnourished this year and at risk of death.

“We have learned in Somalia from past experience that that delays can be deadly, and we need resources to provide support to these very vulnerable groups,” said WFP spokesperson Jean-Martin Bauer, speaking from Rome.

He called on donors and partners to increase funding to the country of 19 million people.

Poor harvest

Two consecutive failed crop seasons last year resulted in harvests 45 per cent below-average yields, Mr. Bauer said.

This is linked to consecutive climate shocks in Somalia, where poor rainfall depleted water sources and led to livestock losses.

Weather forecasters predict another drought from April to June, while humanitarians warn that malnutrition is likely to worsen due to disease outbreaks and reduced food access.

WFP has yet to factor in the impact of any funding cuts from the United States but chronic underfunding has forced it to cut back assistance to 820,000 people, down from 2.2 million in 2022.

The agency has also had to downsize its school feeding programme, which was suspended in some states including the South West and Somaliland.

Funding shortfalls

Just 12 per cent of the $1.4 billion overall appeal for Somalia has been funded so far, Mr. Bauer said.

The WFP provides up to 90 per cent of food assistance in Somalia, making it an essential lifeline for thousands of people, including many internally displaced by conflict.

A combination of in-kind food assistance and cash-based transfers is needed to mitigate the worst effects of the crisis, Mr. Bauer stressed, referring to aid coming in the form of goods or services like food packages, shelter and blankets.

“When you are facing a crisis like the one we are worried about in Somalia, we need all types of resources to be put at play to avert the worst,” he said.

Speaking to journalists at UN Headquarters in New York, Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that the Kerem Shalom, Zikim and Erez crossings had remained closed for cargo for the third consecutive day, severely restricting the flow of humanitarian supplies into the devastated enclave.

“The Israeli authorities have rejected our attempts to collect humanitarian supplies that crossed the Kerem Shalom border crossing before its closure,” he said, citing the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

“Given the huge needs in Gaza, keeping the crossings closed will have devastating consequences,” he added, underscoring that Member States and those with influence must use all available means to ensure the ceasefire holds.

Aid should not be used as ‘a weapon’: UNRWA chief

Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), warned on Tuesday that Israel’s decision to halt aid should be reversed.

“Humanitarian aid must continue to flow at scale similar to what we have seen over the past six weeks when the ceasefire began. This brought respite and relief to people in need,” he said in a post on the platform X.

He noted that the vast majority of the people in Gaza rely on aid for their “sheer survival”, adding that water, medical care and electricity were essential to complement basic food assistance.

“Aid and these basic services are non-negotiable. They must never be used as weapons of war,” Mr. Lazzarini stated.

Services continue

Despite the restrictions, UN agencies and humanitarian partners on the ground are working to sustain aid operations across the Gaza Strip, Mr. Dujarric said.

On Monday, the dialysis unit at Al Rantisi Children’s Hospital in Gaza City resumed services on Tuesday, alongside a 25-bed in-patient unit. Paediatric services also resumed at the Indonesian Hospital in North Gaza.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 29 child patients, along with 43 companions, were evacuated from Gaza to Jordan via Israel for specialized medical treatment. This marked the first WHO-supported medical evacuation to Jordan since the ceasefire began in January.

Inside Gaza, WHO has also provided hygiene and sanitation supplies to thousands of women and girls, warning that the lack of access to clean water and sanitation could worsen mental health conditions for those who have been displaced.

Escalation in the West Bank

In the West Bank, Israeli military operations in Jenin have escalated, leading to more displacement and destruction, Mr. Dujarric reported.

Israeli forces ordered residents in one part of Jenin city to evacuate their homes, displacing about 30 families “including at least three, who had been displaced previously,” he said.

He added that Israeli forces used bulldozers, damaging infrastructure and causing power outages, while intensified access and movement restrictions to and from the city were also observed.

Geir Pedersen said in a statement that “such actions are unacceptable and risk further destabilising an already fragile situation, heightening regional tension and undermining efforts toward de-escalation and a sustainable political transition.”

The condemnation follows a recent wave of airstrikes and ground raids targeting southern Syria which the Israeli Government says are necessary for national security and to keep weapons out of the hands of armed groups hostile to Israel.

Airstrikes, incursions

The latest Israeli raid occurred on Monday night targeting a weapons storage facility near the coastal city of Latakia. Several hours later Israeli forces conducted operations in two towns in southern Syria blowing up warehouses, before withdrawing, according to news reports.

A week ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the “complete demilitarisation” of swathes of southern Syria of the “forces of the new regime”, which ousted former dictator Bashar Assad in December.

In response, Syria’s transitional leader Ahmad al-Sharaa reportedly said at the meeting of Arab States in Cairo on Tuesday focused on Gaza reconstruction that Syria is committed to the ceasefire deal of 1974, accusing Israel of violating Syrians’ rights for decades.

Special envoy Pedersen called on Israel to “cease violations, uphold its international obligations and refrain from unilateral measures that exacerbate conflict.”

He called for all parties to conflict across the region to respect Syria’s sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity.

“Constructive dialogue and strict adherence to international agreements and international law are essential for security,” he added.

Aid trucks

Meanwhile, UN aid coordination office, OCHA, has welcomed the extension by the caretaker authorities for the UN to continue to deliver humanitarian assistance through the Bab al-Salam and Al-Ra’ee crossing for an additional six months,

Bab Al-Salam and Al-Ra’ee provide direct routes to Aleppo, where some four million people need assistance, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Tuesday.

Since the start of the year, more than 520 trucks carrying UN aid – including food, health and other critical supplies – have crossed from Türkiye through these two border points, as well as through Bab al-Hawa – a substantial increase compared to the same period last year.

“This afternoon, nearly two dozen trucks carrying 300 metric tons of WFP food – enough for 174,000 people – as well as agricultural supplies from the Food and Agriculture Organization, crossed from Türkiye to Syria through Bab Al-Hawa,” Mr. Dujarric said.

That’s according to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, which said on Monday that the Kerem Shalom, Erez and Zikim crossing closures means that vital humanitarian assistance, including thousands of tents, can’t be delivered to civilians in need.

Phase one of the ceasefire mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the US expired on Saturday, with Hamas calling on Israel to move on to the next agreed phase – but Israel is calling instead for a continuation of phase one through the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan in line with a proposal from the top US envoy to the region.

January’s ceasefire deal has seen the release of 33 Israeli hostages who’ve been held captive since the 7 October terror attacks, with around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners exchanged.

“The ceasefire has provided the opportunity to distribute food, to distribute water, as well as shelter assistance and medical aid, allowing nearly everyone in Gaza to receive food parcels,” said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, briefing reporters in New York.

“Our humanitarian partners tell us that following the closure of the crossings into Gaza yesterday, flour and vegetable prices increased more than 100 per cent. Partners are currently assessing the stocks that are currently available,” he added.

Ceasefire, ‘a critical lifeline’: UNICEF    

The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, warned that the stoppage of aid deliveries into Gaza will quickly lead to devastating consequences for children and families who are simply struggling to survive.

“The aid restrictions announced yesterday will severely compromise lifesaving operations for civilians,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East. “It is imperative that the ceasefire – a critical lifeline for children – remains in place, and that aid is allowed to flow freely so we can continue to scale up the humanitarian response.”

The agency said that between 19 January and last Friday, almost 1,000 UNICEF trucks had crossed into the enclave carrying clean water, medical supplies, vaccines, therapeutic food and other materials.

Since the start of the ceasefire on 19 January, UNICEF and partners have provided warm clothing to 150,000 children in Gaza and increased daily water distribution for nearly half a million people living in more remote areas, Mr. Dujarric said.

Nearly 250,000 children and thousands of pregnant and breast-feeding mothers have received nutritional supplements since the ceasefire took effect.

Over the past two weeks, in Rafah, Khan Younis and Deir al Balah, aid partners have distributed vegetable seed kits for gardening to try and encourage more diverse diets.

Around 1,500 water distribution points are now operating across Gaza – double the number operational at the start of the ceasefire. “However, partners tell us that pipes and spare parts for maintenance are urgently needed,” said Mr. Dujarric.

Classrooms open

Across Gaza, more than 100 public schools have reopened, allowing around 100,000 students back into the classroom.

In Gaza City and North Gaza, UN partners will use tents to ensure children can continue learning, with some wood pallets recycled into school furniture.

OCHA teams visited a displacement site in Khan Younis on Monday where around 1,200 people are staying. These communities have not been allowed to return to their homes, which are located in the buffer zone.

OCHA is working to mobilise assistance to meet their needs.

Meanwhile in the occupied West Bank, OCHA reports that ongoing operation by Israeli forces continues to drive humanitarian needs in northern areas. Humanitarian partners continue to face movement restrictions.