Children in Gaza will begin to die of thirst if Israel does not lift fuel blockade, UN warns
THE UNITED NATIONS has warned that children in Gaza could begin dying of thirst if Israel does not lift its 100-day blockade on fuel in the besieged territory.
Gaza is suffering from famine-like conditions after Israel blocked all supplies from entering the region from early March to the end of May, according to rights groups. Israel is continuing to impose restrictions on Gaza.
Meanwhile, Palestinians waiting to receive aid in Gaza are being killed on a daily basis. According to figures issued on Tuesday by the Palestinian health ministry,at least 516 people have been killed and nearly 3,800 wounded by Israeli fire while seeking aid since late May.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary general, told a news conference yesterday that Palestinians 'continue to be killed and continue to be injured'.
'This includes reports of people coming under fire near non-UN militarised distribution sites or on routes designated by the Israeli authorities for the United Nations to collect trucks carrying aid,' Dujarric said.
He said that a mission to access fuel stored in Rafah was successful, with fuel now being allocated to run critical services in the south of Gaza. However, he said that unless more fuel is delivered inside Gaza, 'these lifelines will very quickly shut down'.
'Fuel, to state the obvious, is essential to produce, treat and distribute water to more than 2 million Palestinians living inside Gaza.
UNICEF warns that if the current more than 100-day blockade on fuel coming into Gaza does not end, children may begin to die of thirst.
Dujarric called for Israeli authorities to allow the delivery of fuel 'in sufficient quantities' into the Gaza Strip, including to the north. 'If these life-saving operations shut down, people will not be able to survive,' he added.
Children in Gaza are also experiencing mounting psychological stress, which is being driven by the deteriorating conditions, including lack of food, Dujarric said.
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Displaced Palestinian children living in a school run by UNRWA, the U.N. agency, in Gaza City.
Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
'Today, the World Health Organization is sounding the alarm over the 'mental health emergency' in Gaza,' he said.
Yesterday, 46 Palestinians were killed while waiting for aid in the besieged territory. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said 21 people were killed and around 150 wounded by Israeli fire near an aid point in central Gaza, and that another 25 were killed in a separate incident in the south.
'Worst point we've ever been at'
Dujarric said the numbers 'speak for themselves as to the horrors of what is going on in Gaza'.
'People being killed just for trying to get food, because of a militarised humanitarian distribution system that meets none of the prerequisites for a functioning fair, independent and impartial humanitarian system.'
He said it is 'high time that leaders on both sides find the political courage to put a stop to this carnage'.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme, UNICEF's Rosalia Bollen said Gaza is at 'rock bottom'.
'We're really at the worst point we've ever been at,' she said.
She said her colleagues have met with people who have been injured near food distribution centres, including a 13-year-old boy who later died from his injuries.
'Hospitals are really on their last legs too. They're overwhelmed. There's just this overflow of injured people. There are shortages of medicines, of medical supplies,' Bollen said.
We're seeing a very chilling pattern day in, day out. Nobody should have to choose between dying of hunger or risking their life to get food.
Bollen said every child in Gaza today is hungry, thirsty and exhausted.
'We know children have died of malnutrition, and as temperatures soar right now, there's also not enough clean water, so we see worsening of the sanitation situation,' she said.
'Sewage is overflowing in the street because there's not enough fuel for pumping stations to operate. It's really a man-made catastrophe we're seeing unfolding in front of our eyes. It's the worst we've been at in these more than 20 months of war.'
Related Reads
UN condemns Israel's 'weaponisation of food' in Gaza as another 25 people reported killed
'I saw a man crushed': Behind the scenes of the humanitarian aid chaos in Gaza
The Gaza health ministry has said that over 5,000 people have been killed since Israel broke a two-year ceasefire on 18 March.
Today, Israel's army said that seven of its soldiers were killed in combat in Gaza.
The army's website listed the names of five soldiers and a platoon commander from the same battalion who 'fell during combat in the southern Gaza Strip'.
It added that a seventh soldier was also killed, but his family had not given permission for him to be named.
The October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Of the 251 hostages seized by Hamas, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 56,077 people, also mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.
With reporting by
©
AFP 2025
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A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
