As Gaza’s children starve and aid workers collapse from hunger, the UN warns of a total humanitarian collapse unless life-saving aid is allowed in immediately….reports Asian Lite News
As famine tightens its grip on Gaza, senior United Nations officials have issued urgent warnings about the collapse of humanitarian conditions, with children starving to death and aid workers fainting from hunger.
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), painted a harrowing picture of daily life in the besieged Palestinian enclave. “People in Gaza are neither dead nor alive, they are walking corpses,” he said in a statement on Wednesday, citing his staff on the ground. The region’s children, he warned, are facing lethal levels of malnutrition, with one in five now severely undernourished in Gaza City.
According to the latest UNRWA findings, the number of children suffering from hunger is increasing every day. “Most children our teams are seeing are emaciated, weak and at high risk of dying if they don’t get the treatment they urgently need,” Lazzarini stated. Over 100 people—mostly children—are believed to have died from hunger.
This deepening emergency is not only endangering those in need of help, but also the very people trying to provide that help. Many frontline UNRWA health workers are themselves barely surviving, reportedly consuming just one small meal a day, often consisting of lentils—if anything at all. As a result, staff are increasingly fainting while trying to treat others.
“When caretakers cannot find enough to eat, the entire humanitarian system is collapsing,” Lazzarini warned. “Parents are too hungry to care for their children. Those who reach UNRWA clinics don’t have the energy, food, or means to follow medical advice.”
‘Starvation Is Another Killer’
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), echoed Lazzarini’s grave concerns at a press briefing. He noted that bombs were not the only threat facing Palestinians. “Starvation is another killer,” Tedros said, adding that the WHO has confirmed at least 21 cases of children under the age of five dying from malnutrition.
Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: “Severe malnutrition is spreading among children faster than aid can reach them, and the world is watching it happen.”
The situation deteriorated rapidly between early March and mid-May—80 consecutive days during which no aid was allowed into Gaza. Since then, minimal deliveries have resumed, but they remain “far below what is needed for the survival of the population,” said Tedros.
Aid Sites No Longer Safe Havens
Food distribution points—once seen as lifelines—have now become flashpoints. Tedros reported that over 1,000 people have been killed while attempting to access food between 27 May and 21 July. Many of these deaths occurred around sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which the UN has criticised for violating principles of humanitarian law.
“Parents tell us their children cry themselves to sleep from hunger,” Tedros said. “Food distribution sites have become places of violence.”
Hospitals, too, are no longer safe havens. UN agencies report that hospitals have been systematically targeted and many are no longer functioning. On Monday, a WHO humanitarian site came under attack. Male staff were stripped and interrogated, while women and children were forced to flee on foot amid the chaos. One WHO staff member remains detained.
Despite the mounting dangers, Tedros emphasised the resolve of UN agencies: “Our commitment is firm. UN agencies must be protected while operating in conflict zones.”
Thousands of Aid Trucks Held Back
While humanitarian agencies continue to push for access, bottlenecks persist. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, confirmed that although some flour was collected at the border on Wednesday, it was “nowhere near sufficient” for the needs of both civilians and aid workers. Fuel deliveries have trickled in, but no tents or other critical shelter materials have entered Gaza in over 20 weeks.
UNRWA alone has 6,000 truckloads of food and medical supplies waiting in Jordan and Egypt. Lazzarini once again called for immediate and unrestricted access. “Families are no longer coping,” he said. “They are breaking down, unable to survive. Their existence is threatened.”
In a stark plea to the international community, he concluded: “Allow humanitarian partners to bring unrestricted and uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to Gaza.”
