Israel Blocks Entry of Peanut Butter into Gaza, a Product that Helps Combat Malnutrition

United Nations, (EFE).– Israel has classified peanut butter, used to combat malnutrition, as “a luxury item” and has blocked its entry into the Gaza Strip, according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, through his spokesperson earlier this week.

“The Israeli authorities have classified some foods, such as peanut butter, as luxury items that are not allowed in, which has left large amounts of already-purchased aid stuck outside Gaza,” said the Secretary-General’s spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, at his daily press briefing.

This product, which provides protein and fiber and is rich in healthy fats, is used to treat people suffering from severe acute malnutrition, according to the UN.

Specifically, the organization uses in some conflict areas the peanut-based paste Plumpy’Nut, a therapeutic food that is easy to use and store and does not need to be mixed with water, UNICEF notes on its website.

Plumpy’Nut is also inexpensive: with $65, a child can be provided with the paste for six weeks.

Peanut butter could help alleviate the famine situation in the Strip, where 144 people, including 30 children, have died from malnutrition since August 22, when the internationally recognized independent food security system, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), declared famine in northern Gaza.

The report indicates that a total of 1.6 million Gazans are suffering from hunger, including one-third (more than half a million) in critical condition, experiencing extreme deprivation of food, while the rest of the population is in a “food crisis” situation.

In addition to food bans, inspection rules by Israeli authorities vary depending on the route, creating “unpredictability and unnecessary delays,” Dujarric noted.

He also stressed that, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the last remaining supply routes for civilians in Gaza City are “collapsing” amid intensified military operations.

In just five days, he underlined, eleven UN facilities serving as emergency shelters for around 11,000 people in Gaza City have been damaged after being directly or indirectly hit.

Israel launched its ground incursion into Gaza City this past Tuesday, preceded by a night of heavy bombardments from drones and helicopters, as thousands fled south from the enclave.

Israeli army spokesperson Effie Defrin said that day that taking control of Gaza City would take several months, after last night’s launch of a ground offensive against the capital, accompanied by heavy bombardments.