NEW YORK, (Palestine Foundation Information Center) The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has issued a dire warning that children in Gaza are dying at an “unprecedented” rate as famine deepens under Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on the Strip, which began on October 7, 2023.
Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, described the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as “inhuman” following his fourth visit to the enclave since the war began.
Speaking at a media briefing, Chaiban said, “You see the pictures in the news, you know what has happened, but it is much harder when you are there. The signs of deep suffering and hunger are clear on the faces of families and children.”
Chaiban confirmed that more than 18,000 children have been killed in Gaza since the war began and warned that over 320,000 young children are currently at risk of severe malnutrition. “We are at a crossroads, and the choices made now will determine whether tens of thousands of children will live or die,” he said.
UNICEF reports that one in three people in Gaza is going without food for days. The global acute malnutrition rate has now exceeded 16.5%, crossing the famine threshold and raising the alarm for an imminent disaster.
In addition to demanding a sustainable ceasefire and a long-term political resolution, Chaiban emphasized the need to immediately allow at least 500 aid trucks per day into Gaza through all available roads, including for humanitarian and commercial supplies.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Ministry of Health announced on Saturday that the number of deaths caused by Israel’s starvation policy has risen to 169, including 93 children, with seven deaths reported in the past 24 hours alone.
The crisis has been exacerbated by Israel’s closure of Gaza’s crossings and restrictions on entry of aid.
On May 27, Israel, in coordination with the United States, launched a controversial aid mechanism through the so-called “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation”, which operates four distribution points in central and southern Gaza.
The mechanism, widely criticized by Palestinians and humanitarian groups, has failed to meet the population’s urgent needs and is viewed as part of a broader policy of forced displacement and control under the guise of humanitarian assistance.
As aid agencies remain unable to deliver essential supplies, warnings are mounting over the use of deliberate starvation as a weapon of war, threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of Gaza’s most vulnerable, its children.
