'Mass starvation' in Gaza: Aid agencies
'Doctors report record rates of acute malnutrition, especially among children and older people,' they said in a statement. 'Illnesses like acute watery diarrhoea are spreading, markets are empty, waste is piling up, and adults are collapsing on the streets from hunger and dehydration.
'Distributions in Gaza average just 28 trucks a day, far from enough for over 2mn people, many of whom have gone weeks without assistance,' they said. 'The UN-led humanitarian system has not failed, it has been prevented from functioning.'
The aid agencies said governments must stop waiting for permission to act.
'It is time to take decisive action: demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire; lift all bureaucratic and administrative restrictions; open all land crossings; ensure access to everyone in all of Gaza; reject military-controlled distribution models; restore a principled, UN-led humanitarian response and continue to fund principled and impartial humanitarian organisations,' they said. 'States must pursue concrete measures to end the siege, such as halting the transfer of weapons and ammunition.'
'Piecemeal arrangements and symbolic gestures, like airdrops or flawed aid deals, serve as a smokescreen for inaction,' the statement said. 'They cannot replace states' legal and moral obligations to protect Palestinian civilians and ensure meaningful access at scale. States can and must save lives before there are none left to save.'
Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where more than 2mn people have endured 21 months of devastating conflict.
In a statement, the 111 signatories – including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam – warned that 'our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away'.
'As the Israeli government's siege starves the people of Gaza, aid workers are now joining the same food lines, risking being shot just to feed their families,' the statement read.
The groups called for an immediate negotiated ceasefire, the opening of all land crossings and the free flow of aid through UN-led mechanisms.
The UN on Tuesday said Israeli forces had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid since the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operations in late May – effectively sidelining the existing UN-led system.
Tonnes of supplies sitting untouched
In their statement, the humanitarian organisations said that warehouses with tonnes of supplies were sitting untouched just outside the territory, and even inside, as they were blocked from accessing or delivering the goods.
On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the 'horror' facing Palestinians in Gaza under Israeli military attack is unprecedented in recent years.
43 dead from starvation in 72 hours
Ten more Palestinians died of starvation and malnutrition in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours on Wednesday, taking the total to 43 in three days. 'Hospitals in Gaza recorded ten new deaths due to starvation and malnutrition in the past day,' the Health Ministry said.
The latest fatalities brought the death toll from starvation since October 2023 to 111, the ministry added.
According to the UN, about 87.8% of Gaza is now covered by Israeli evacuation orders or is within Israeli militarised zones, leaving the 2.1mn population squeezed into about 46sqkm of land.
In total, the Hamas-run Health Ministry reported at least 59,029 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
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Palestinian Territories – More than 100 aid organisations warned on Wednesday that 'mass starvation' was spreading across the Gaza Strip and that their own colleagues were suffering acutely from the shortages. 'Doctors report record rates of acute malnutrition, especially among children and older people,' they said in a statement. 'Illnesses like acute watery diarrhoea are spreading, markets are empty, waste is piling up, and adults are collapsing on the streets from hunger and dehydration. 'Distributions in Gaza average just 28 trucks a day, far from enough for over 2mn people, many of whom have gone weeks without assistance,' they said. 'The UN-led humanitarian system has not failed, it has been prevented from functioning.' The aid agencies said governments must stop waiting for permission to act. 'It is time to take decisive action: demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire; lift all bureaucratic and administrative restrictions; open all land crossings; ensure access to everyone in all of Gaza; reject military-controlled distribution models; restore a principled, UN-led humanitarian response and continue to fund principled and impartial humanitarian organisations,' they said. 'States must pursue concrete measures to end the siege, such as halting the transfer of weapons and ammunition.' 'Piecemeal arrangements and symbolic gestures, like airdrops or flawed aid deals, serve as a smokescreen for inaction,' the statement said. 'They cannot replace states' legal and moral obligations to protect Palestinian civilians and ensure meaningful access at scale. States can and must save lives before there are none left to save.' Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where more than 2mn people have endured 21 months of devastating conflict. In a statement, the 111 signatories – including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam – warned that 'our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away'. 'As the Israeli government's siege starves the people of Gaza, aid workers are now joining the same food lines, risking being shot just to feed their families,' the statement read. The groups called for an immediate negotiated ceasefire, the opening of all land crossings and the free flow of aid through UN-led mechanisms. The UN on Tuesday said Israeli forces had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid since the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operations in late May – effectively sidelining the existing UN-led system. Tonnes of supplies sitting untouched In their statement, the humanitarian organisations said that warehouses with tonnes of supplies were sitting untouched just outside the territory, and even inside, as they were blocked from accessing or delivering the goods. On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the 'horror' facing Palestinians in Gaza under Israeli military attack is unprecedented in recent years. 43 dead from starvation in 72 hours Ten more Palestinians died of starvation and malnutrition in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours on Wednesday, taking the total to 43 in three days. 'Hospitals in Gaza recorded ten new deaths due to starvation and malnutrition in the past day,' the Health Ministry said. The latest fatalities brought the death toll from starvation since October 2023 to 111, the ministry added. According to the UN, about 87.8% of Gaza is now covered by Israeli evacuation orders or is within Israeli militarised zones, leaving the 2.1mn population squeezed into about 46sqkm of land. In total, the Hamas-run Health Ministry reported at least 59,029 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
