'Israel' is starving children in Gaza, UN agency warns
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OCHA urges "Israel" to adhere to international law by facilitating the safe passage of life-saving relief into the Gaza Strip.
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A Palestinian child sheltering on extremely overcrowded land in Deir al-Balah amid Israeli genocide on June 3, 2024 (UNRWA)
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has issued a warning, stating that insufficient aid is reaching Palestinians in Gaza, leading to a dire situation where children are facing starvation.
OCHA is urging "Israel" to adhere to international law by facilitating the safe passage of life-saving relief into the Gaza Strip.
“I would say they are certainly not getting the amount that they desperately need to prevent a famine, to prevent all kinds of horrors that we see. It’s very, very little that is going around at the moment,” OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke said.
He emphasized that according to international humanitarian law, Israeli authorities are required to assist in the delivery of aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip.
When addressing inquiries regarding barriers to accessing aid, the OCHA spokesperson stated that such a duty “does not stop at the border. It does not stop when you drop off just a few meters across the border and then drive away and then leave it to humanitarians to drive through active combat zones – which they cannot do – to pick it up. So, to answer your question, no, the aid that is getting in, is not getting to the people.”
Five-year-old Hanaa Al-Rai from Gaza is suffering from dehydration, malnutrition, liver and spleen enlargement, and diabetes. She cannot receive treatment due to the destruction of Gaza's hospitals by Israel and the occupation of the Rafah crossing. pic.twitter.com/2N3SvgtLXw
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) June 4, 2024
Laerke also emphasized that land crossings for aid convoys into Gaza are crucial, being "the only way to get [aid] in at scale and at speed." He highlighted the necessity for more of these land crossings to be open and safe to ensure aid can be delivered efficiently.
These statements coincide with a tragic incident where a 13-year-old Palestinian child Abdul Qader al-Sarahi tragically died due to starvation. The tragedy occurred following the closure of the Rafah border crossing by "Israel", obstructing humanitarian aid access.
Breaking: The child Abdul Qader Al-Sarahi (13 years old) passed away at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza, due to Israeli-imposed starvation, malnutrition, and the lack of available treatment amid Israel's occupation of the Rafah crossing. pic.twitter.com/NOBBkVDTC3
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) June 1, 2024
Not an isolated incident: Seven-month-old Palestinian infant Fayez Abu Ataya tragically passed away in central Gaza due to the absence of milk and medicine resulting from the Israeli devastating blockade. Fayez, appearing as a mere skeleton, was captured on video as he succumbed to starvation in his father's embrace at al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah.
Read next: 3,500 Gaza children at risk of death amid Israeli starvation tactics
Rafah residents struggle with crowded, restricted living spaces, warns OCHA
The head of UN aid agency OCHA's office in the occupied Palestinian Territory, Andrea De Domenico, emphasized on Monday that the humanitarian crisis in Rafah has escalated to a critical level. He underscored the dwindling and overcrowded spaces available for civilians to gather and seek refuge. De Domenico shared observations from his recent trip to Gaza, shedding light on the dire situation in Rafah and the severe repercussions of Israeli airstrikes on civilians.
"The events that have unfolded in Rafah since the seventh of May, with the subsequent move up to almost a million people that found refuge for months in Rafah and now that they've moved all in a sudden... The result of it is that the narrowing space that is left for civilians to conglomerate and leave is becoming more and more limited, and more and more crowded," De Domenico stressed during a virtual press briefing at the UN.
More than 600,000 children are sheltering in tents in Rafah right now as they are getting intensely bombed - nowhere else left to go.
— Mohamad Safa (@mhdksafa) May 29, 2024
This is not war, this is genocide. pic.twitter.com/x2A6BdHMsE
De Domenico described the people of Gaza as incredibly hospitable and resilient guests, acknowledging their warmth and strength. However, he noted that the ongoing dire circumstances are gradually eroding "more and more this fabric progressively."
He further remarked that all hospitals in Rafah are no longer operational, leaving only field hospitals to provide medical care. With approximately 950,000 people remaining in Rafah, he highlighted that the operational conditions in the area continue to pose significant challenges.
"The perspective of having a war until the end of the year is simply terrifying in my mind," he stated.
Read more: 'Israel' bombs al-Bureij and Rafah, kills, injures Palestinians
