Children starving in Gaza, urges Israeli aid access

The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has issued a stark plea to Israel amid a mounting humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

As reported by Euronews, the WHO's recent visit to two hospitals in northern Gaza revealed alarming conditions, including severe malnutrition and children dying of starvation.

In a social media post, Ghebreyesus detailed the grim findings, citing critical shortages of fuel, food, and medical supplies. At Kamal Adwan Hospital, where malnutrition levels are dire, 10 children have already succumbed to starvation. Al-Awda Hospital faced similar distress, worsened by the destruction of one of its buildings.

Ghebreyesus emphasized the urgent need for humanitarian aid to be safely and regularly delivered to Gaza, calling for immediate scaled-up assistance to civilians, especially children, and health workers. The plea for peace echoed throughout his message, stressing that ceasefire is the ultimate medicine needed by all patients.

The situation has worsened with the suspension of aid deliveries by the United Nations food agency due to Israeli gunfire and escalating violence. While some aid has been permitted, the limited access has left hundreds of thousands facing catastrophic food insecurity, with one in six children under two suffering from acute malnutrition.

Despite efforts to provide some fuel and medical supplies, Ghebreyesus stressed that the current assistance is only a fraction of the urgent needs facing the hospitals and the people of Gaza. The plea for access to humanitarian aid remains critical as Gaza teeters on the brink of a devastating health crisis.

[With information sourced from Euronews]