AhlulBayt News Agency: UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, has warned that up to 14,000 babies in Gaza could lose their lives within the next 48 hours if the blockade on the war-torn region continues.
Following Israel’s decision to allow only four trucks of aid into Gaza on Monday, Fletcher described the amount as “a drop in the ocean.”
“There are 14,000 babies that will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them … I want to save as many of these 14,000 babies as we can in the next 48 hours,” he said.
He noted that the aid trucks, carrying baby food and nutrition supplies, have entered Gaza but have not reached civilians due to Israeli restrictions.
“This is not food that Hamas is going to steal … We run the risk of looting. We run the risk of being hit as part of the Israeli military offensive. We run all sorts of risks trying to get that baby food through to those mothers who cannot feed their children right now because they are malnourished,” Fletcher emphasized.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened significantly since March 18, when Israel severely restricted the entry of food, fuel, medicine, and clean water into the territory.
The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has designated Gaza as suffering from phase 5 famine, warning that nearly 71,000 children under the age of five are at risk of acute malnutrition.
Phase 5 famine is defined as a situation in which at least one in five households faces extreme food shortages and starvation, leading to destitution, severe malnutrition, and death.
International pressure on Israel has increased in recent weeks, with calls for de-escalation and immediate aid access.
On Monday, Canada, France, and the UK warned Israel that unless it allows humanitarian aid into Gaza and stops its military actions, they will take “concrete actions” against the regime.
Additionally, 22 countries have signed a joint statement demanding Israel allow impartial humanitarian operations to resume in Gaza.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly been forced to ease restrictions. He stated that preventing a “starvation crisis” in Gaza is necessary for “diplomatic reasons.”
Despite this, Israel has intensified its airstrikes across Gaza, killing at least 60 people—mostly women and children—on Monday alone.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, the Israeli regime has killed at least 300 Palestinians in the past three days.
The UN has also warned that many people in Gaza are dying from preventable diseases due to the extreme lack of medicine and continued attacks on hospitals.
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