Gaza facing man-made 'mass starvation', says WHO chief Tedros
'I don't know what you would call it other than mass starvation, and it's man-made, and that's very clear,' said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a virtual press conference. 'This is because of (the) blockade.'
Tedros's comments followed an appeal by more than 100 aid agencies warning of a deepening hunger crisis in Gaza, where tons of food, clean water and medical supplies remain stuck outside the enclave.
Gaza's food supplies have run out, aid agencies say, since Israel imposed a full blockade in March as part of its war against Palestinian militant group Hamas. Although the blockade was eased in May, international organisations say only a limited flow of aid is reaching Gaza's population of 2.2 million.
Israel maintains that the restrictions are necessary to prevent aid from being diverted to militants, and says it has facilitated the delivery of sufficient food. It has repeatedly blamed Hamas for the suffering inside Gaza.
SURGING HUNGER DEATHS
The Gaza health ministry said on Wednesday that 10 more people had died overnight from starvation, bringing the total to 111 since the conflict began, most of them in recent weeks as hunger spreads.
The WHO said at least 21 child deaths from malnutrition have been reported so far this year, but stressed the real toll is likely far higher. Centres for treating malnutrition are full and lack emergency supplies, officials said.
Tedros added that the United Nations and its humanitarian partners were unable to deliver any food between March and May for nearly 80 days, and that aid deliveries since then remain insufficient to meet needs.
According to the WHO, screenings show that roughly 10 per cent of the population in Gaza is suffering from either moderate or severe malnutrition, including up to 20 per cent of pregnant women.
'In July alone, 5,100 children have been admitted to malnutrition programmes, including 800 who were severely emaciated,' said Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO's representative for the occupied Palestinian territories.
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CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Israel announces daily pauses in Gaza fighting as aid airdrops begin
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Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
WHO says malnutrition reaching 'alarming levels' in Gaza
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CNA
8 hours ago
- CNA
Israel to pause fighting in Gaza areas each day for aid corridors
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"Our teams on the ground ... will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," he said in a post on X. Health officials at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Hospitals in the central Gaza Strip said Israeli firing killed at least 17 people and wounded 50 people waiting for aid trucks on Sunday. A spokesperson for Israel's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Thousands of Gazans gathered in locations where they expect aid trucks to roll through on Sunday, Reuters witnesses and locals said. Dozens of Gazans have died of malnutrition in recent weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. The Gaza health ministry reported six new deaths over the past 24 hours due to malnutrition, bringing the total number of deaths from malnutrition and hunger to 133 including 87 children. On Saturday, a five-month-old baby, Zainab Abu Haleeb, died of severe acute malnutrition at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, health workers said. 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The UN said last week humanitarian pauses in military activity would allow "the scale up of humanitarian assistance", adding that Israel had not been providing enough route alternatives for its convoys, hindering aid access. Israel, which cut off the aid flow to Gaza from the start of March and reopened it with new restrictions in May, says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent it from being diverted by militants. It says it has let enough food into Gaza during the war and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's people. Israel and the US appeared on Friday to abandon ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, saying it had become clear that the militants did not want a deal. HOPE, UNCERTAINTY Many Gazans expressed tentative relief about Sunday's announcement, but said the fighting must end permanently. "People are happy that large amounts of food aid will come into Gaza," said Tamer Al-Burai, a business owner. "We hope today marks a first step in ending this war that burned everything up." Some others voiced concern about how aid will be delivered and whether it will reach people safely. "When aid is airdropped, it causes injuries and damage," said displaced Gaza resident Suhaib Mohammed. Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir criticised the aid decision, which he said was made without his involvement. He called it a capitulation to Hamas' deceitful campaign and repeated his call to choke off all aid to Gaza, conquer the territory and encourage Palestinians to leave. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a question about Ben-Gvir's comments. After letting in aid in May, Israel said there was enough food in Gaza but that the United Nations was failing to distribute it. The UN said it was operating as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions. The war began on Oct 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters stormed southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's offensive has killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, reduced much of the enclave to ruins and displaced nearly the entire population.
