Significant part of Gaza faces ‘famine-like conditions’, says WHO | Israel-Palestine conflict news

Thousands of Palestinian children in Gaza have been diagnosed with malnutrition, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, as Israel continues to severely restrict supplies of food, water, medicine and fuel to the territory.

“A significant proportion of Gaza’s population now faces catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists on Wednesday.

“Despite reports of increased food distribution, there is currently no evidence that those who need it most are receiving food in sufficient quantity and quality.”

Tedros said 8,000 children under the age of five have been diagnosed and treated for acute malnutrition in Gaza.

“However, due to insecurity and lack of access, only two stabilization centers for severely malnourished patients can operate,” the WHO chief added.

Tedros said 32 deaths in the besieged Palestinian enclave were attributed to malnutrition.

United Nations officials have warned of the risk of famine as Israel continues its war on Gaza. In January, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to “guarantee the provision of basic services and essential humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.”

The UN high court reaffirmed that decision in March, demanding that Israel take “all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay… the unimpeded and large-scale provision, by all concerned, of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance.” ”.

Some of Israel’s closest allies, including the United States, have also called for more help to enter Gaza and reach people in need.

Last month, Israel seized and closed the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which served as a key entry point for aid and humanitarian workers.

Last month, International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of alleged war crimes, including the use of “hunger of civilians as a method of war”.

An independent UN-backed commission also accused Israel of inflicting starvation on Palestinians.

“In relation to Israeli military operations and attacks in Gaza, the Commission concluded that the Israeli authorities are responsible for the war crimes of starvation as a method of warfare, murder or intentional homicide, attacks intentionally directed against civilians and civilian objects, transfers forced sexual assault, violence, torture and inhumane or cruel treatment, arbitrary detention and outrages on personal dignity,” the panel said in a report released on Wednesday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier this week that Israel has taken “important steps” in recent months to remove obstacles to delivering aid to Gaza, but acknowledged that it “can and must do more.”

“It is essential to speed up inspection of trucks and reduce delays; provide greater clarity – and reduce the list of – prohibited products; increase visas for aid workers and process them more quickly,” he said at a Gaza aid conference in Jordan on Tuesday.

Blinken, who announced $404 million in new assistance to Palestinians, also called for “clearer and more effective channels” to protect aid workers from military operations.

Israeli strikes killed at least 270 aid workers in Gaza, including seven staff at World Central Kitchen, in April – an incident that sparked global outrage.

Humanitarian organizations have highlighted that even inadequate aid reaching Gaza often fails to reach the people who need it most due to the Israeli offensive.

“The latest US humanitarian package for Gaza is a welcome step,” the International Rescue Committee said on Wednesday. “However, the effective delivery of any financial package depends entirely on unfettered access to aid and the ability of humanitarian workers to operate smoothly.”

Beyond Gaza, WHO’s Tedros highlighted a growing health crisis in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces have killed hundreds of people since the start of the war.

“The WHO has documented 480 attacks on healthcare in the West Bank since October 7 last year, resulting in 16 deaths and 95 injuries,” he said.

In a major incident, undercover Israeli forces stormed a hospital in Jenin and killed three people inside the medical center.