GAZA / PNN /

The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported on Sunday that 18 Palestinians of various ages have died from starvation in the past 24 hours, as Israel’s ongoing blockade continues to prevent the entry of food and aid.

Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, Director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, announced that all medical supplies, food, and fuel have completely run out, forcing hospitals across the Gaza Strip to shut down.

"Our people in Gaza feel utterly abandoned by the world, especially by the Arab and Islamic nations," Abu Salmiya said, calling for immediate action to open the crossings and deliver urgent humanitarian aid.

He warned that Palestinians in Gaza are facing “a large-scale genocide” through a combination of starvation and relentless airstrikes, all unfolding before the eyes of the international community.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini echoed the alarm, stating that failure to pressure Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza amounts to "complicity" in the starvation of civilians.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Lazzarini shared a message received from an UNRWA staff member in Gaza: “I search for food for my children, but there is nothing.” Lazzarini wrote, “We receive messages like this every day from our starving colleagues. How does one respond to such despair? It is shameful and deepens my sense of helplessness.”

He emphasised that this catastrophe is “entirely man-made” and highlighted Israel’s continued impunity. “Food is just a few kilometres away across the border,” he said.

According to Lazzarini, UNRWA alone has enough stockpiled aid outside Gaza to meet the needs of the entire population for the next three months. However, no humanitarian assistance has been allowed in since 2 March.

He stressed the urgent need for political will to compel Israel to open the crossings and allow aid in. “Inaction is complicity — it strips us of our humanity,” Lazzarini concluded.

Earlier in the day, medical sources in Gaza reported that Israel’s starvation policy has led to the deaths of at least 86 Palestinians, including 76 children, due to malnutrition since the blockade on humanitarian aid began in October 2023.