UN Raises Alarm as Gaza Children Face Starvation Amid Israeli Blockade
The agency has urged the Israeli regime to adhere to international law and ensure the safe transit of essential relief supplies into the region.
OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke expressed grave concern, stating, "I would say they are certainly not getting the amount that they desperately need to prevent a famine, to prevent all kinds of horrors that we see. It’s very, very little that is going around at the moment.
Laerke emphasized Israel's legal obligation to allow the delivery of aid into Gaza, criticizing the current approach to aid distribution. "Such a duty does not stop at the border. It does not stop when you drop off just a few meters across the border and then drive away and then leave it to humanitarians to drive through active combat zones – which they cannot do – to pick it up. So, to answer your question, no, the aid that is getting in, is not getting to the people," he said.
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The spokesperson highlighted the critical role of land crossings for aid convoys, urging for more access points to be opened and secured. "We need more of these land crossings and we need them open and we need them safe for use to pick up the aid when it’s dropped off," Laerke added.
This urgent appeal follows the tragic death of a 13-year-old Palestinian boy, Abdul Qader al-Sarhi, who died of starvation in the central Gaza Strip after the closure of the Rafah border crossing by Israeli authorities, which has severely restricted the flow of humanitarian aid.
According to reports from Palestine's official news agency WAFA, al-Sarhi's death at al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah is part of a rising death toll, which now stands at 37 due to malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza amidst ongoing hostilities in Rafah.
In another heart-wrenching incident, a seven-month-old infant named Fayez Abu Ataya also perished from starvation in central Gaza.
The blockade has led to a dire shortage of essential supplies, including milk and medicine.
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Fayez's final moments, as he lay dying in his father's arms at al-Aqsa Hospital, were captured on film, presenting a harrowing image of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.
The Israeli regime unleashed the war against Gaza Strip after Palestinian resistance movements launched a surprise attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, against occupying entity on October 7, 2023.
The Israeli aggression has killed at least 36,439 Palestinians , most of them women and children, and another 82,627 individuals have sustained injuries. More than 1.7 million people have been internally displaced during the war.
Source: Agencies
