The United Nations reported a 300% increase in malnutrition cases among children in north Gaza, with now 650 cases being diagnosed. Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Farhan Haq, highlighted the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza due to access constraints, shortages in essential supplies, and damaged infrastructure from Israeli airstrikes. Amidst this crisis, Israel’s Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, controversially suggested starving Gaza’s 2 million people as a means of pressure. He claimed that aid entry into Gaza was necessary to prolong the war and criticized a deal regarding Israeli captives in Gaza.
In response to the worsening situation, the UN and humanitarian organizations have criticized Israel for exacerbating the human crisis by limiting aid entry. Fikr Shalltoot from Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) stated that the famine in Gaza is man-made and called for increased international pressure on Israel to allow aid into the enclave. The ongoing conflict has already claimed thousands of lives and left many injured, with a substantial portion of Gaza’s infrastructure damaged.