World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Cindy McCain warned, following her visit to Gaza, that the territory has reached "the brink of total collapse," urging the immediate reactivation of the WFP's food distribution network to prevent a further spread of famine.

McCain’s visit came shortly after the UN officially declared a famine in Gaza on August 22. She stated: “I met starving children receiving treatment for severe malnutrition. I saw pictures of them when they were healthy—they are now unrecognizable." She added, “Despair has reached its peak, and I witnessed it firsthand."

She stressed the urgent need to restore WFP’s broad and reliable food distribution network — including 200 distribution points, soup kitchens, and bakeries — across the Gaza Strip. She also highlighted the critical importance of creating the necessary conditions to reach the most vulnerable and save lives.