The United States will dedicate $200 million to fight acute hunger in conflict zones around the world, including Gaza, USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced Friday.
The money will be used to maximize the purchase, production and distribution of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), a nutrient-rich peanut-based paste that is particularly useful in combating malnutrition in children under 5 years old, in places like Gaza, Sudan and Haiti, a USAID official told ABC News.
In Gaza, USAID partners are already distributing RUTF, and the agency plans to soon ship additional RUTF supplies to the enclave from Kenya via the maritime corridor, the official added.
Humanitarian groups and the United Nations have been warning for weeks of the threat of a full-blown famine in Gaza as the conflict continues.
-Shannon Crawford of ABC News
ABC News
