What you should know
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Monday that some of its staff working in Gaza are suffering from severe hunger. The organization said that it is receiving poignant messages that it is 'severely suffering due to hunger'.
More than 20 million people in Gaza are currently facing a severe food crisis. Doctors, civil defense personnel and international humanitarian organizations have informed that the incidence of malnutrition is increasing rapidly in recent days .
UNRWA has mentioned in a public message, 'The price of food has increased up to forty times due to the severe shortage of essential commodities in Gaza . However, our warehouses outside Gaza have sufficient stockpiles of relief materials to feed the entire population for more than three months.' The
organization further wrote, The blockade must be lifted and humanitarian aid must be allowed to enter Gaza safely and adequately.'
On March 19, after the cease-fire talks failed, Israel imposed a complete blockade on Gaza. After about two months of no material being allowed to enter, some vehicles were allowed to enter on a limited basis towards the end of Baisakh.
The civil security agency informed on Sunday that three newborn babies died due to "severe starvation and malnutrition" in the last week.
According to the Ministry of Health, within 24 hours from Saturday to Sunday, 18 people have died due to hunger.
Director of Al-Shifa Hospital Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya said, 'If children under one year of age are not given milk, their weight is decreasing significantly, their immunity is weakening, due to which they have become victims of various diseases .
The Israeli side says that there is no restriction on sending nutritious milk and food items needed for infants in Gaza.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense's civil affairs monitoring body has informed that more than 2,000 tons of baby food has been sent to Gaza, but it has not been clarified in what period it has been sent . The Ministry has said, 'We urge international organizations to coordinate the delivery of essential nutritional materials for infants without delay .'
In this war, which began after the attack of Hamas in 2023, according to Israeli statistics, 1,219 people were killed, most of whom were civilians .
Then, according to the Ministry of Health of Gaza, 59 thousand 29 people have died in Israeli military operations, most of whom are civilians.
