Gaza children dying of hunger amid aid blockade, says UNRWA commissioner
A girl stands with a pot as people queue to receive charity meals from a kitchen in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 24, 2025. (AFP Photo)
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said children in Gaza are “dying of hunger” as Israel continues to block humanitarian aid for nearly two months.
Children facing starvation amid Gaza siege
In a statement shared on X, Lazzarini highlighted the urgent need for humanitarian aid and basic supplies in Gaza. “Children are dying of hunger in Gaza,” he said, posting an image of women and children struggling to obtain food.
Lazzarini accused the Israeli government of “continuing to obstruct the entry of food and other essentials” into Gaza. “This is a man-made famine driven by political decisions,” he added, emphasizing the deteriorating humanitarian conditions.
The blockade has been in place since Israel halted aid access to Gaza on March 2, following the end of the first phase of a ceasefire and hostage exchange agreement.
WFP and WHO warn of escalating humanitarian crisis
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) recently announced that food stocks in Gaza have been entirely depleted. Remaining supplies have been distributed to communal kitchens.
We've reached an awful and grim moment in #Gaza.@WFP food supplies inside the Strip have run out, even though there is enough food to feed a million people positioned in aid corridors but cannot reach those in need.
The situation is the same with medical supplies. They are… https://t.co/I8udakt0UK
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) April 25, 2025
Similarly, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated, “We have reached a horrific and desperate point in Gaza,” stressing that despite available food for one million people, it cannot reach those in need.
Journalists targeted in Gaza conflict
According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Israel has deliberately targeted journalists in Gaza to prevent the dissemination of information regarding alleged war crimes.
A statement from the Gaza-based independent organization reported that an assassination was carried out against a Palestinian journalist, his wife, and daughter in Deir al-Balah.
The center noted, “The increasing attacks against journalists undoubtedly indicate these killings are deliberate.”
The report emphasized that killing journalists falls under war crimes according to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and urged immediate international action.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, 213 journalists have been killed in Gaza, marking the highest toll since record-keeping began in 1992, with 13 of them being women.
Burn victims suffer as medical supplies run dry
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) issued a statement titled “No Escape from Pain, No Hope for Recovery: Burn Patients in Gaza Suffer Endless Agony,” highlighting the growing number of burn victims following Israel’s resumed attacks on March 18.
Due to a 50-day blockade on medical supplies, MSF teams are unable to provide adequate pain relief.
MSF noted that over 100 burn victims, most of them children, arrive daily at their clinic in northern Gaza. Many suffered burns covering 40% of their bodies because of unsafe cooking practices in overcrowded shelters or from explosions.
“Children scream and beg us to stop when we try to remove burnt fabric from their bodies,” said Ahmed Abu Verde, MSF’s medical coordinator at Nasser Hospital. “But if we don’t clean the wounds, infections or sepsis can lead to death.”
Hamas warns of escalating violence in West Bank
Hamas issued a statement accusing Israel of accelerating annexation and forced displacement plans through intensified violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The group called on Palestinians to increase resistance against Israeli forces and settlers.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, violence and detentions have surged in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, with over 957 Palestinians killed, nearly 7,000 injured, and 16,400 arrested.
Humanitarian conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens as essential services such as water and electricity remain cut off, and crossings stay closed.
Since Israel launched its operations on Oct. 7, 2023, over 51,439 Palestinians have been killed and 117,416 injured, according to local authorities.
