Report: Most children under five in Gaza go days without food
The vast majority of children under the age of five in Gaza are regularly forced to go at least an entire day without eating, with hunger caused by Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza intensifying in recent weeks, aid organizations report.
According to a survey conducted by humanitarian relief organizations in May, 85% of children under five were deprived of food for at least one day in three days. According to statistics, at least 30 children have died from hunger in Gaza so far since the beginning of the war. Relief organizations warn that the hunger crisis is getting worse day by day as Tel Aviv continues its almost complete obstruction of humanitarian aid.
The deadly combination of closed border crossings, persistent air strikes, reduced logistical capacity due to evacuation notices, and a stumbling Israeli permit process that impairs the movement of humanitarian aid within Gaza has created an impossible environment for aid agencies to operate effectively,” Oxfam says in a report released Monday.
The United Nations reported that since Israel began its invasion of Rafah, the amount of aid entering the area has fallen by two-thirds from levels that were already causing famine before May. Since May 6, when Israel took control of and closed the main humanitarian crossing into Gaza, only eight trucks of aid have entered on average each day – about 1 percent of the 500 to 600 trucks the UN said would need to be delivered—entry every day to meet the needs of the Palestinian population.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said in a report published today, Wednesday: “Between May 28 and June 1, only 232 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid entered through the Kerem Shalom crossing, which represents.
A significant reduction in aid occurred before the Rafah military operation.
During this period, UNRWA remained the largest UN agency operating through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, with the majority of aid being flour and food supplies. By the time famine is declared, it will be too late,” Sally Abi Khalil, Oxfam’s Middle East and North Africa director, said in a statement. “As hunger claims more lives, no one will be able to deny the terrifying impact of Israel’s deliberate and unlawful obstruction.” And harsh aid.
More than a million people fled from Rafah in light of the Israeli invasion of the Strip to Khan Yunis, Al-Mawasi, and neighboring Deir Al-Balah, according to Oxfam.
As a result, two-thirds of Gaza’s population, or 1.7 million people, have now been forced to move to an area that is only one-fifth the size of the Gaza Strip. According to Oxfam, living conditions in the Al-Mawasi camp led to 500,000 people using only 121 latrines, meaning that 4,130 people had to use one restroom.
