More than 100 international aid and human rights organisations, including Médecins Sans Frontières, Save the Children, and Oxfam, have issued a dire warning of mass starvation in Gaza, urging governments to take immediate action. The groups’ joint statement describes a worsening humanitarian crisis, with aid workers and civilians “wasting away” due to severe shortages of food, medicine, and fuel.
The statement comes as Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reported 10 additional deaths from malnutrition in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 43 since Sunday. The United Nations has highlighted cases of severe exhaustion and people collapsing in the streets due to hunger.
Israel, which controls all supply routes into Gaza, rejected the organisations’ claims, accusing them of spreading “Hamas propaganda.” The Israeli military imposed a near-total blockade on aid in March, resuming its offensive against Hamas two weeks later to pressure the group into releasing remaining Israeli hostages. Although the blockade was partially eased after warnings of famine, shortages remain critical.
The aid groups reported that Gaza’s population, almost entirely reliant on humanitarian aid, is confined to less than 12% of the territory due to Israeli evacuation orders and militarised zones. Only 28 lorry loads of aid are distributed daily, far below what is needed. Warehouses both inside and outside Gaza hold tons of undelivered food, water, and medical supplies, blocked by access restrictions and ongoing hostilities.
Dr Ahmad al-Farra, head of paediatrics at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, told the BBC that no food had been available for three days. He described children arriving malnourished, some dying in care, while others suffer from health conditions that prevent nutrient absorption. “We were afraid we would reach this critical point – and now we have,” he said.
The UN’s World Health Organization estimates that a quarter of Gaza’s population faces famine-like conditions, with nearly 100,000 women and children requiring urgent treatment for severe acute malnutrition. Soaring prices have made basic goods unaffordable, with one resident reporting that 300 shekels (£66.50) is needed daily just for flour.
The aid groups also raised concerns about the deaths of over 1,050 Palestinians trying to access food since 27 May, when the Israel- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operating aid sites. The UN reports 766 deaths near these sites, which are located in Israeli military zones and managed by US private security contractors. Israel denies intentionally targeting civilians, claiming its troops fire only warning shots.
The organisations called for an immediate ceasefire, the opening of all land crossings, and the restoration of UN-led aid distribution. They also urged governments to halt weapon transfers to end the siege. Israel’s foreign ministry dismissed the statement, accusing the groups of undermining ceasefire and hostage release talks.
The conflict, sparked by Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, has led to at least 59,219 deaths in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The UN stresses that Israel, as the occupying power, is obliged under international law to ensure aid reaches those in need, a responsibility Israel insists it upholds while blaming UN agencies for distribution failures.
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