UNRWA says some Gaza staff starving as malnutrition soars - War on Gaza
Gaza's population of more than two million people are facing severe shortages of food and other essentials, with doctors, the civil defence agency and medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reporting a spike in malnutrition cases in recent days.
In a post on X, UNRWA said that shortages in the Palestinian territory had caused food prices to increase by 40 times, while the aid stockpiled in its warehouses outside Gaza could feed "the entire population for over three months."
"The suffering in Gaza is manmade and must be stopped," it wrote. "Lift the siege and let aid in safely and at scale."
After talks to extend a six-week ceasefire broke down, Israel imposed a full blockade on Gaza on March 2, allowing nothing in until trucks were again permitted at a trickle in late May.
The civil defence agency on Sunday reported at least three infant deaths from "severe hunger and malnutrition" in the past week.
Eighteen reportedly died of starvation within 24 hours between Saturday and Sunday, the ministry said.
"Infants under one year of age suffer from a lack of milk, which leads to a significant decrease in their weight and a decrease in their immunity that makes them vulnerable to diseases," said Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the director of Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital.
Israel on Monday said there was "no ban or restriction on the entry of baby formula or baby food into Gaza."
COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body that oversees civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, said that "over 2,000 tons of baby food and infant formula were delivered into Gaza", without specifying the time frame.
"We urge international organisations to continue coordinating with us to ensure the entry of baby food and formula without delay. Our commitment remains firm: to support humanitarian aid for civilians -- not for Hamas," COGAT wrote on X.
Israel's genocidal war in Gaza has killed 59,029 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded more than 140,000.
Follow us on:
Short link:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al-Ahram Weekly
4 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
117 aid trucks enter Gaza: Al-Qahera News - War on Gaza
A convoy of 117 aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip late Friday through the Zikim crossing in the north and the Karm Abu Salem crossing in the south, according to Al-Qahera News. This marked the third aid delivery since Wednesday, amid growing international condemnation of Israel's blockade and its mass starvation policy targeting Gaza's population of 2.3 million, which rights groups describe as a 'man-made famine.' Israel's deliberate starvation of civilians has been widely denounced as a tactic of collective punishment and a war crime. Images of the dead and severely emaciated—many of them children—have sparked mounting global pressure on Israel over the worsening humanitarian catastrophe. The United Nations (UN) has previously estimated that 600 to 800 aid trucks are needed daily to sustain life in Gaza. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) had earlier warned that malnutrition among children under five had doubled between March and June due to the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. Since May, Israeli occupation forces have killed nearly 1,000 Palestinians seeking flour at US- and Israeli-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's (GHF) designated 'humanitarian aid centres' across the Strip. Humanitarian organizations continue to raise the alarm over the soaring rates of malnutrition among children in Gaza, as the blockade remains firmly in place. Famine deepens, ceasefire talks collapse On Saturday, an infant, Hud Arafat, died Saturday morning due to severe malnutrition and the lack of baby formula, according to the Palestinian WAFA news agency. His death brings the number of children who have died from starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours to three, raising the total death toll from hunger-related causes in Gaza to 124. Medical sources reported that 84 children were among the victims of the mass-starvation policy imposed by Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip. This follows the deaths of two other infants from starvation and malnutrition announced on Friday. Over 900,000 children are currently suffering from hunger, 70,000 of whom have entered the stage of clinical malnutrition, placing them at imminent risk of death. Meanwhile, hopes for a ceasefire faded this week as the United States and Israel abruptly pulled out of the latest round of negotiations with Hamas, despite the group's stated willingness to continue talks. The move drew sharp criticism from international aid groups and regional governments, who have urged renewed diplomatic pressure to halt the war and end the starvation campaign. Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has claimed the lives of nearly 57,000 Palestinians, primarily women and children, since its outbreak in October 2023. At least 143,965 others have been injured, with the toll expected to rise as many victims remain trapped under rubble or in areas inaccessible to rescue teams Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Egypt Independent
8 hours ago
- Egypt Independent
Palestinians are starving or being killed by Israeli troops while seeking aid almost daily. How did we get here?
CNN — Twenty-one months into Israel's war in Gaza, the enclave is gripped by escalating scenes of death and hunger, with some killed while trying to reach aid, others dying of starvation, and growing condemnation of Israel's conduct even among many of its closest allies. Palestinians in Gaza are suffering from man-made 'mass starvation' due to the aid blockade on the enclave, the chief of the World Health Organization warned reporters at a briefing on Wednesday. 'Parents tell us their children cry themselves to sleep from hunger,' Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. 'Food distribution sites have become places of violence.' The United Nations says more than a thousand people have been killed by Israeli forces while seeking food since late May, when a controversial new Israel- and US-backed aid group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, began operating. Of those, hundreds have died near GHF sites, according to the UN. The GHF was created to replace the UN's aid role in Gaza and has been widely criticized for failing to improve conditions. All 2.1 million people in Gaza are now food insecure. On Tuesday, Gaza's health ministry said 900,000 children are going hungry, and 70,000 already show signs of malnutrition. But how did it come to this? A complete siege after Hamas' October 7 attack Before the war, Gaza was already one of the most isolated and densely populated places on earth, with around two million people packed into an area of 140 square miles. Israel has maintained tight control over the territory through a yearslong land, air and sea blockade, with severe restrictions on the movement of goods and people. More than half of its residents were food insecure and under the poverty line, according to the UN. Between 500 and 600 truckloads of aid entered Gaza daily before the conflict. That number has since plummeted to an average of just 28 trucks per day, a group of humanitarian organizations said Wednesday. It's unclear if the figure includes trucks used in GHF's operations. Following Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack, which left 1,200 people dead and more than 250 taken hostage, Israel ordered a 'complete siege' of Gaza, halting the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel. A humanitarian crisis swiftly unfolded, as trapped residents faced both hunger and a devastating Israeli military campaign in response. Human rights groups have repeatedly criticized Israel's use of food as a 'weapon of war' and accused it of imposing 'collective punishment.' Brief respite and a short-lived ceasefire Following international pressure, the first trucks carrying aid entered Gaza in late October. A temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on November 24, 2023, slightly increasing aid flow. But the truce collapsed a week later. Aid deliveries subsequently dwindled again, and stringent Israeli inspections further delayed shipments. Israeli authorities said screening was necessary to prevent Hamas from diverting supplies but humanitarian officials accused Israel of deliberately throttling aid. Palestinians, including children struggle to receive hot meals distributed by a local charity in Gaza City on July 14. Mahmoud ssa/Anadolu/Getty Images Further compounding the crisis was the Israeli campaign against the UN and its aid delivery system, which Israel said was ineffective and allowed aid to fall Hamas' hands. The UN denies this. Among the agencies targeted was the UN's Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which Israel accused of having staff involved in the October 7 attack. A UN investigation found that nine of UNWRA's 13,000 Gaza-based employees 'may have' participated and no longer worked at the agency. In January this year, Israel banned UNRWA from operating in Gaza, cutting off viral services like food, health care and education to hundreds of thousands of people. The breakdown of social order As Israel's campaign leveled much of Gaza, displacing most of its residents and weakening Hamas' grip on the territory, lawlessness began to spread. Looting became a new hurdle for UN trucks, and casualties mounted at aid delivery points. Israel has repeatedly blamed Hamas and armed gangs for the chaos. The UN warned just weeks into the war that civil order was beginning to collapse, with desperate Palestinians taking flour and hygiene supplies from warehouses. By November 2024, the UN again raised the alarm, saying the capacity to deliver aid was 'completely gone.' Injured Palestinians are transported to hospitals after Israeli forces open fire on civilians waiting for humanitarian aid in the Zikim area on Sunday. Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty Images In 'one of the worst' looting incident, over 100 trucks were lost, it said. Drivers were forced to unload trucks at gunpoint, aid workers were injured, and vehicles were damaged extensively. As Hamas' grip on Gaza waned and the territory's police force was hollowed out, gangs emerged to steal aid and resell it. Israel has also armed local militias to counter Hamas – a controversial move that opposition politicians have warned will endanger Israeli national security. The arming of militias appears to be the closest that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come to empowering any form of alternate rule in the strip. Since the start of the war, the Israeli leader has refused to lay out a plan for Gaza's governance once the conflict ends. Another ceasefire collapse and a new aid system On January 19, another temporary ceasefire was reached. Aid resumed, but remained well short of what was needed. Israel reinstated a total blockade of Gaza on March 2 after the truce expired. Two weeks later, it resumed fighting, with officials saying the goal was to force Hamas to accept new ceasefire terms and release hostages. By July, the World Food Programme (WFP) assessed that a quarter of Gaza's population was facing famine-like conditions. At least 80 children have died of malnutrition since the conflict began, the Palestinian health ministry says. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), most of these occurred after the March blockade. In May, GHF, the controversial new Israeli- and American-backed organization, announced it would begin delivering with Israel's approval. Just days before GHF began operating, its director Jake Wood resigned, saying it was impossible to do his work 'while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence.' Injured Palestinians are transported to hospitals after Israeli forces open fire on civilians waiting for humanitarian aid in the Zikim area on Sunday. Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty Images The foundation was created to replace the UN's role in Gaza, while complying with Israeli demands that the aid not reach Hamas. The GHF said it would coordinate with the Israeli military, but that security would be provided by private military contractors. The UN has refused to participate, saying the GHF model violates some basic humanitarian principles. Critics have noted that there are only a small number of GHF distribution sites, in southern and central Gaza – far fewer than hundreds under the UN's previous model. This has forced massive crowds to gather at limited locations. The GHF has defended its system, saying it is a 'secure model (that) blocks the looting.' But soon after it began operating on May 27, the plan turned deadly as those seeking aid increasingly came under fire near GHF aid sites. Palestinian officials and witnesses have said Israeli troops are responsible for most of the deaths. The Israeli military acknowledged firing warning shots toward crowds in some instances, but denied responsibility for other incidents. And the deaths aren't limited to the vicinity of GHF aid sites. On Sunday, Israeli forces killed dozens waiting for aid in northern Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Israel said troops fired warning shots after sensing an 'immediate threat' The ministry of health recorded nine deaths due to famine and malnutrition in 24 hours from Thursday, according to Health Ministry director Munir Al-Bursh, bringing the total of Palestinians who died of starvation to 122. On Wednesday, 111 international humanitarian organizations called on Israel to end its blockade and agree to a ceasefire, warning that supplies in the enclave are now 'totally depleted' and that humanitarian groups are 'witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes.' An Israeli official said at a press briefing on Wednesday that they expect more aid to enter the enclave in the future. 'We would like to see more and more trucks entering Gaza and distributing the aid as long as Hamas is not involved,' the official said. 'As we see for now, Hamas has an interest: First, to put pressure on the State of Israel through the international community in order to (have) an effect in the (ceasefire) negotiation process; and second, to collapse the new mechanism that we have established that is making sure that they are not involved in the aid delivery inside Gaza.' International pressure continues to mount on Israel, including from the United States. And on Monday, the foreign ministers of 25 Western nations slammed Israel for 'drip feeding' aid into the Gaza Strip. Israel's foreign ministry said it 'rejects' the statement, calling it 'disconnected from reality.'
Al-Ahram Weekly
a day ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
(⚠️Graphic Content) PHOTO GALLERY: A Palestinian mother comforts her starving 18-month old boy!
Hidaya, a 31-year-old Palestinian mother, cradles her sick 18-months old son Mohammed al-Mutawaq, who is also displaying signs of malnutrition, inside their tent at the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on July 24, 2025. AFP Hidaya, a 31-year-old Palestinian mother, cradles her sick 18-months old son Mohammed al-Mutawaq, who is also displaying signs of malnutrition, inside their tent at the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on July 24, 2025. AFP Hidaya, a 31-year-old Palestinian mother, cradles her sick 18-month-old son Mohammed al-Mutawaq, who is also displaying signs of malnutrition, inside their tent at the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on July 24, 2025. AFP Hidaya, a 31-year-old Palestinian mother, cradles her sick 18-month-old son Mohammed al-Mutawaq, who is also displaying signs of malnutrition, inside their tent at the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on July 24, 2025. AFP Hidaya, a 31-year-old Palestinian mother, holds her her sick 18-month-old son Mohammed al-Mutawaq, who is also displaying signs of malnutrition, inside their tent at the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on July 24, 2025. AFP Hidaya, a 31-year-old Palestinian mother, holds her her sick 18-month-old son Mohammed al-Mutawaq, who is also displaying signs of malnutrition, inside their tent at the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on July 24, 2025. AFP Hidaya, a 31-year-old Palestinian mother, sits wit her sick 18-month-old son Mohammed al-Mutawaq, who is also displaying signs of malnutrition, inside their tent at the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on July 24, 2025. AFP Hidaya, a 31-year-old Palestinian mother, sits wit her sick 18-month-old son Mohammed al-Mutawaq, who is also displaying signs of malnutrition, inside their tent at the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on July 24, 2025. AFP TOPSHOT - Hidaya, a 31-year-old Palestinian mother, cradles her sick 18-month-old son Mohammed al-Mutawaq, who is also displaying signs of malnutrition, inside their tent at the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on July 24, 2025. AFP TOPSHOT - Hidaya, a 31-year-old Palestinian mother, cradles her sick 18-month-old son Mohammed al-Mutawaq, who is also displaying signs of malnutrition, inside their tent at the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on July 24, 2025. AFP TOPSHOT - Hidaya, a 31-year-old Palestinian mother, carries her sick 18-month-old son Mohammed al-Mutawaq, who is also displaying signs of malnutrition, inside their tent at the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on July 24, 2025. AFP TOPSHOT - Hidaya, a 31-year-old Palestinian mother, carries her sick 18-month-old son Mohammed al-Mutawaq, who is also displaying signs of malnutrition, inside their tent at the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on July 24, 2025. AFP Hidaya, a 31-year-old Palestinian mother, carries her 18-month-old sick son Mohammed al-Mutawaq, who is also displaying signs of malnutrition, inside their tent at the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on July 24, 2025. AFP Hidaya, a 31-year-old Palestinian mother, carries her 18-month-old sick son Mohammed al-Mutawaq, who is also displaying signs of malnutrition, inside their tent at the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on July 24, 2025. AFP
