Vatican newspaper warns of ‘culpable’ mass starvation, hypothermia in Gaza

December 12, 2025

The Vatican newspaper warned that “over two million people across the [Gaza] Strip are now at risk not only of starvation but also of freezing.”

In a prominent front-page article in L’Osservatore Romano’s December 11 edition, Federico Piana reported that “coats, warm clothing, and blankets were supposed to arrive in the refugee camps with the humanitarian aid convoys promised immediately after the ceasefire. But still, nothing.”

Piana added:

And who knows if they will ever arrive, given that, since October 10, deliveries of basic necessities have fallen short of the quantities established in the truce agreement ...

Those on the ground, such as UNICEF [the United Nations Children’s Fund], declare that “the needs far exceed the humanitarian community’s capacity to respond, given the persistent obstacles.” These obstacles include not only the general insecurity but also the culpable difficulties with customs clearance, the incomprehensible delays, and the suspicious denials of those managing the entry points into the Gaza Strip.

Piana cited reports from the Associated Press and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

 

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Further information:

• Gaza nella morsa del freddo (L'Osservatore Romano, 12/11/25)