The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that children are dying of starvation in northern Gaza, with a lack of food leading to the deaths of 10 children and severe levels of malnutrition. Hospital buildings have been destroyed, and at least 15 children have died from malnutrition and dehydration at the Kamal Adwan hospital. The UN warned last week that famine in Gaza was "almost inevitable," with one in six children under two in the north suffering from acute malnutrition.
The US launched its first airdrop of humanitarian aid into Gaza, including more than 38,000 meals. However, aid agencies argue that these drops are an inefficient way of getting supplies to people. Last week, at least 112 Palestinians were reportedly killed when large crowds descended on lorries carrying aid while Israeli tanks were present. Israel claimed that the tanks fired warning shots but did not strike the lorries, and many of the dead were trampled or run over.
Some aid agencies have been facing difficulties with the authorities, with Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN's main human rights agency in the Gaza Strip, UNRWA, accusing the Israeli government of trying to "eliminate" its presence in Gaza. Israel has long accused different branches of the United Nations, including UNRWA, of bias and even antisemitism. Several western countries, including the UK, have paused funding to UNRWA after Israel accused some staff of roles in the 7 October attacks.
The Israeli military launched a large-scale air and ground campaign to destroy Hamas, which is proscribed as a terrorist organization by Israel, the UK, US, and others. More than 30,500 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.
