Gaza’s famine crisis results from the inability to deliver aid rather than food shortages, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell has said, Anadolu Agency reports.

“Children have been spending months and months without sufficient food,” Russell told CBS. “We see just a horrible situation where children are on the verge of starvation and ultimately dying from starvation.”

Russell emphasised the preventable nature of the crisis, noting that food exists nearby but cannot reach those in need. “This did not happen because there were cyclones or droughts. This happened because we could not get enough aid in to these children,” she said.