Thousands of Palestinian children in Gaza have been diagnosed with malnutrition, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, as Israel continues to severely restrict supplies of food, water, medicine and fuel of the territory.
“A significant proportion of Gaza’s population now faces catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.
“Despite reports of an increase in food deliveries, there is currently no evidence that those who need it most are receiving food in sufficient quantity and quality. »
Tedros said 8,000 children under the age of five had been diagnosed and treated for acute malnutrition in Gaza.
“However, due to insecurity and lack of access, only two stabilization centers for severely malnourished patients can operate,” the WHO chief added.
Tedros said 32 deaths in the besieged Palestinian enclave have been attributed to malnutrition.
United Nations officials have warned of the risk of famine as Israel continues its war on Gaza. In January, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to “guarantee the provision of basic services and essential humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza.”
The UN’s highest court reaffirmed that decision in March, demanding that Israel take “all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay… the unhindered and large-scale provision by all concerned of basic services and the humanitarian aid they urgently need.
Some of Israel’s closest allies, including the United States, have also called for more help to enter Gaza and reach people in need.
Last month, Israel seized and closed the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which served as a major gateway for aid workers.
Last month, International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of alleged war crimes, including the use of “starvation of civilians as a method of war”.
A UN-backed independent commission also accused Israel of inflicting hunger on Palestinians.
“With regard to Israeli military operations and attacks in Gaza, the Commission concluded that Israeli authorities are responsible for war crimes: starvation as a method of warfare, murder or intentional homicide, intentional direction of attacks against civilians and civilian property, forced transfer, sexual violence. violence, torture and inhuman or cruel treatment, arbitrary detention and outrages upon personal dignity,” the committee said in a report on Wednesday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier this week that Israel had taken “significant steps” in recent months to remove obstacles to the delivery of aid to Gaza, but he acknowledged that it “ could and should do more.
“It is crucial to speed up truck inspections and reduce delays; provide more clarity on prohibited goods – and shorten the list of them; increase visas for aid workers and process them more quickly,” he said Tuesday at a conference on aid to Gaza in Jordan.
Blinken, who announced $404 million in new aid to the Palestinians, also called for “clearer and more effective channels” to protect aid workers from military operations.
Israeli attacks killed at least 270 aid workers in Gaza, including seven World Central Kitchen employees in April – an incident that sparked global outrage.
Humanitarian organizations have stressed that even the insufficient aid reaching Gaza often fails to reach the people who need it most due to the Israeli offensive.
“The latest US humanitarian program for Gaza is a welcome step,” the International Rescue Committee said Wednesday. “However, the effective implementation of any financial package depends entirely on unhindered access to aid and the ability of humanitarian workers to operate transparently. »
Beyond Gaza, WHO’s Tedros highlighted a growing health crisis in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces have killed hundreds of people since the war began.
“The WHO has documented 480 attacks on health care in the West Bank since October 7 last year, resulting in 16 deaths and 95 injuries,” he said.
In a major incident, undercover Israeli forces attacked a hospital in Jenin and killed three people inside the medical center.
