UN officials have warned that the lives of over 14,000 infants in Gaza are at risk within the next 48 hours.
Tom Wicher, Deputy Secretary-General and UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the crisis in the Gaza Strip, warned of the danger facing tens of thousands of infants in the besieged enclave.
Tom Wicher stated: “If humanitarian aid does not reach the besieged Gaza Strip within the next 48 hours, the lives of over 14,000 infants will be endangered.”
He added: “Last week, only five trucks carrying humanitarian aid managed to enter Gaza. After 11 weeks of Israeli blockade, this amount of aid is like a drop in the ocean. These supplies have not yet reached the most vulnerable groups in Gaza. The humanitarian crisis is worsening, and mothers are unable to breastfeed their children due to severe malnutrition.”
The UN official stressed: “The lives of 14,000 infants are at risk, and we hope to save as many of them as possible in the next two days.”
Emphasizing the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, he said: “The UN is seeking to bring 100 additional humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza, containing essential food supplies and infant formula.”
Meanwhile, in a statement regarding the inhumane conditions faced by women in Gaza, the UN Women’s Committee asserted: “Israeli attacks on Gaza claim the life of one woman every hour.”
The UN body noted: “Since the start of the war, over 28,000 women and girls have been killed in Gaza, including thousands of mothers who were forced to leave their children behind.”
This report shows that humanitarian conditions in Gaza have deteriorated since the end of the ceasefire last March, which coincided with a severe Israeli blockade. Gazans are suffering immensely from food shortages and a lack of basic necessities. Amid this, women face particularly harsh conditions and are deprived of minimal healthcare and nutrition.
Aljazeera