Cindy McCain, the executive director of the World Food Programme, called attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which she described as “full-blown famine,” as the war between Israel and Hamas is about to enter its eighth month.
McCain, the widow of the late Sen. John McCain, sat down with NBC’s Kristen Welker for an interview that will air on Sunday’s edition of Meet The Press to discuss the worsening conditions in Gaza, which come amid a wave of pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses throughout the United States.
“What I can explain to you is that there is famine, full-blown famine in the north, and it’s moving its way south,” McCain said. “And so what we’re asking for and what we’ve continually asked for is a ceasefire and the ability to have … safe and unfettered access to get into Gaza.”
Welker pressed McCain on the use of the word “famine” because there has not been an official declaration, but she justified it based on what WFP workers have seen.
“It’s horror,” McCain said. “It’s so hard to look at, and it’s so hard to hear, also. So I’m so hoping that we can get a ceasefire and that we can begin to feed these people, especially in the north, in a much faster fashion.”
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McCain’s comments come as news of “noticeable progress” is being made in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. War has gone on uninterrupted since December 2023, when the last pause in fighting came to an end.
“It’s also something that we need to make sure the world understands: We can’t let this happen,” McCain said. “In this day and age, when the world has the ability to feed itself 10 times over, nobody should starve. Nobody should starve.”
