LONDON (Palestine Foundation Information Center) Humanitarian organizations have warned that Israel’s systematic starvation policy against more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip could result in the deaths of around 14,000 infants over the next two days unless urgent and adequate food aid is delivered.
Despite the announcement that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had allowed five aid trucks loaded with food and aid for children to enter the besieged Gaza Strip, experts described the move as “a drop in the ocean.”
UN humanitarian official Tom Fletcher said that the amount that entered the Strip falls far short of the required response, adding that Gaza is experiencing “very high levels of acute malnutrition,” with hunger threatening a quarter of a million people suffering from severe food deprivation.
In an interview with the BBC, Fletcher explained that relief teams estimate that 14,000 infants could die within 48 hours if they do not receive immediate food aid.
He also pointed out that the trucks that entered through the Kerem Abu Salem crossing on Monday, a small number compared to the 600 trucks that entered daily during periods of calm, had not yet reached the population.
On Tuesday, Israel allowed 100 additional trucks to enter, but Fletcher expressed fears that these trucks could be looted amid growing chaos and despair in the besieged enclave.
This comes amid a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip since March 2, with food stocks running out at international organizations after 79 days of blockade.
For his part, Wissam Mushtaha of Oxfam said that “Israel has deprived the people of Gaza of food, water and medicine, and continues its indiscriminate and brutal bombardment,” adding that “There are two million people on the brink of starvation, suffering from hunger, disease, trauma and displacement.”
Mushtaha considered that the limited access to aid does not represent real progress, but rather a “narrow concession” reflecting mounting international pressure on Israel.
In a notable political development, the UK, Canada, and France issued a joint statement on Monday condemning the “unacceptable level of human suffering” in Gaza and threatening to impose specific sanctions on Israel if the blockade continues.
British Foreign Secretary David Lamy announced before Parliament the suspension of trade negotiations with Israel, while his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barou stated that Paris supports a review of the partnership agreement between the European Union and Israel, saying, “Blind violence and the blockade imposed on aid have turned Gaza into a cemetery. This must stop immediately. It is a flagrant violation of all international laws.”
These European positions mark a departure from the prevailing Western discourse since October 7, 2023, which considered Israel’s war of extermination on the Gaza Strip to be “self-defense.”
As the scale of the humanitarian disaster grows, human rights organizations and Western lawmakers are increasingly calling for an end to military and political support for Israel, which faces a genocide case before the International Court of Justice.
For her part, Oxfam’s policy officer for the Palestinian territories, Bushra Al-Khalidi, stressed that what is needed now is “the immediate opening of all crossings to ensure a comprehensive and safe humanitarian response that respects international law.”
She also stressed that “a symbolic convoy does not represent progress” and that “ending the bombardment and achieving justice and accountability” are essential conditions for ending the escalating tragedy.
