The Director of the United States Agency for International Development, Samantha, revealed that famine has already begun in areas of northern Gaza, after about 6 months of war in the Strip.Power became the first high-ranking official in President Joe Biden's Administration to speak publicly about the spread of famine in the Strip, after months of repeated warnings from UN Relief Agencies and global experts regarding the worsening cases of starvation among the 2.2 million Palestinians living in Gaza.Humanitarian organizations confirm that it is impossible to deliver supplies to the north amid the continuation of repeated Zionist attacks, the most recent of which was the targeting of a vehicle belonging to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) when it was waiting to enter northern Gaza.Power was testifying before the House Appropriations Committee about her Agency's proposed 2025 budget, when Democratic Representative Joaquin Castro asked her about reports that US agency employees had sent a telegr am to the National Security Council stating that famine had begun in parts of Gaza.The Representative asked: 'Do you think it is reasonable, or likely, that parts of Gaza, especially northern Gaza, are actually suffering from famine?' Power responded in the affirmative, citing an assessment conducted by the 'Global Initiative for the Integrated Phase Classification of Food Security,' describing the initiative's methodology, which is an independent international body accredited by the United Nations as 'sound'.She referred to the report of this body, which previously warned that 'famine is imminent' in the northern part of Gaza, and Power said: 'This is their assessment, and we believe that this assessment is credible.'She said: 'The malnutrition rate before the attack in northern Gaza was 'almost zero, and now it is 1 child in every 3 children,' adding that 'with regard to severe acute malnutrition in children under the age of five, this rate reached 16 percent in Last January, then it became 30 percent in February, and we are awaiting March's numbers, but we expect the increase to continue.'She added, "The destruction of grain stores, markets, and arable land, in addition to the entry of a small number of aid trucks into Gaza, means that there is enormous work to be done in order to avoid the worst forms of famine imaginable."/EndSource: National Iraqi News Agency