More than 3,500 children below the age of five in Gaza face “imminent death by starvation” as Israel continues to prevent the entry of baby formula, nutritional supplements, and all forms of humanitarian aid, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.
About 290,000 others are “on the brink of death,” said the authorities in the besieged enclave.
According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, more than 70,000 children are being hospitalised in the enclave due to severe malnutrition.
“Under this systematic blockade, more than 3,500 children under the age of five face imminent death by starvation, while approximately 290,000 children are on the brink of death,” the statement published on Telegram said.
“At a time when 1.1 million children daily lack the minimum nutritional requirements for survival, this crime is being perpetrated by the ‘Israeli’ occupation using starvation as a weapon, amid shameful international silence,” it added.
Whole world ‘complicit’ in starvation of children in Gaza
Mahmoud Alsaqqa, Oxfam’s food security lead inside the Gaza Strip, says humanitarian organisations are in “desperate need” for unrestricted flows of aid in Gaza, Al Jazeera reported.
“We have a lot of supplies that are stuck in Egypt and Jordan, and we cannot reach them,” he said, adding that he expects the humanitarian situation to “deteriorate” even further.
“We have repeatedly sounded the alarm and warned that this stage will lead to catastrophic and potentially irreversible consequences, especially for the vulnerable groups, the children, the elderly people and the women,” Alsaqqa said.
“The whole world, unfortunately, is contributing to or participating in starving the children in the Gaza Strip. Without taking any action, they are all, unfortunately, complicit,” Alsaqqa said.
“They have a choice: either to continue simply watching the horror, the pictures and the images coming from Gaza or to take action,” he said.
