Thousands of babies in Gaza could die within days without immediate food and medical aid, the United Nations has warned, as Israel allowed a limited number of humanitarian trucks into the besieged enclave for the first time in weeks.
The U.N. said on Tuesday had been granted permission to send “around 100” aid trucks into Gaza following an 11-week blockade.
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U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher warned that 14,000 babies in Gaza could die within 48 hours if they do not receive urgent nutrition and care. Five trucks entered on Monday, he said, describing the situation as “catastrophic” and the current aid flow as “a drop in the ocean.”
“This is not food that Hamas is going to steal,” he told the BBC. “We run the risk of looting, of being hit by the Israeli offensive. We will be impeded, we will run huge risks, but I don’t see a better idea than getting that baby food in, to those moms, who at the moment cannot feed their own kids.”
Before the war began, an average of 500 aid trucks entered Gaza each day. That changed on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a deadly assault on Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking approximately 250 hostages. In retaliation, Israel imposed a total siege on Gaza, immediately halting the entry of all goods, including humanitarian aid. The blockade marked the start of a prolonged crisis, with only a fraction of previous aid levels allowed in since.
The deepening humanitarian crisis comes amid renewed offensive. On Tuesday morning, at least 38 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes within a 30-minute span, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.
On the same day aid was partially restored, the U.K., France, and Canada issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian access as “wholly inadequate.” The statement called for an end to the military campaign and warned of “further concrete actions” if Israel did not comply.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded on Tuesday, accusing the Western leaders of rewarding “the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7” and said Israel would continue its military operations until “total victory is achieved.”
Earlier this month, Israel formally announced an expansion of its military operations in Gaza, stating its ultimate goal was to occupy the entire territory. Airstrikes intensified following former President Donald Trump’s tour of the Middle East over the weekend.
300 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes during the 72 hours before Monday morning, May 19, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. As of Monday, the Health Ministry said that the total death toll since the war began stood at more than 53,000.
The U.N. and aid organizations have warned that the worsening humanitarian conditions are being exacerbated by continued bombardments of critical infrastructure. On Tuesday, Medical Aid for Palestinians called for urgent protection of Gaza’s healthcare facilities following the bombing of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
“Nasser Hospital is the backbone of what healthcare remains in southern Gaza,” the group said. “The hospital has been targeted twice in the last week and, with each assault, risks being shut down entirely, pushing Gaza’s health system closer to total annihilation.
“The attack damaged medical supplies essential for lifesaving treatments and is a further violation of international law. It marks yet another assault in Israel’s campaign to systematically dismantle Gaza’s health system,” it continued.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Israeli strikes also hit Al Awda hospital in northern Gaza on Monday. Two clinics in Khan Younis were forced to close after one was “directly attacked.”
OCHA also reported that on Tuesday, Israeli authorities issued new evacuation orders affecting 40 neighborhoods in Khan Younis—about 23% of Gaza’s total area. “Thousands of people and hundreds of humanitarian facilities, including wells, pumping stations, health facilities, and schools, are impacted,” the agency said.
Since Israel ended the ceasefire in mid-March, more than half a million people have been displaced across Gaza, according to the U.N.