Up to 14,000 babies could die in Gaza within the next 48 hours if humanitarian aid is not urgently delivered, a top UN official has warned.
Tom Fletcher, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, told the BBC that the situation in Gaza is now critical, with mass child deaths imminent unless Israel lifts restrictions and allows large-scale aid entry.
Speaking on Monday, Fletcher said that just nine UN aid trucks were cleared to enter Gaza via the southern Kerem Shalom crossing earlier that day. But he warned the delivery was insignificant compared to the vast needs of the population.
“This is a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed,” he said. “We need to flood the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid.”
Fletcher also urged Israeli authorities to open additional crossings into the north and south of Gaza, simplify procedures, and remove quotas that severely limit the volume of aid allowed in.
He called for military operations to pause wherever and whenever aid is being distributed, to enable UN teams to reach all communities in need.
That includes urgent provisions such as food, clean water, hygiene kits, shelter, medical supplies, fuel and gas for cooking. Without these, Fletcher said, thousands of lives will be lost in the coming days.
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Although he admitted the task ahead would be extremely difficult, Fletcher said the humanitarian community remained ready to act immediately. “We will take any opening we have,” he added.Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has also expressed alarm at Israel’s escalating assault on Gaza.
On Monday, Guterres condemned the intensifying air strikes and ground operations, which he said have resulted in the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in recent days, including many women and children.
He also raised concern over Israel’s mass evacuation orders, which have displaced vast numbers of people, many of whom now live in overcrowded shelters without access to aid.
80 day blockade
The humanitarian warnings come as the Gaza Media Office accused Israel of maintaining a total blockade for more than 80 days.
“No genuine aid has entered the Gaza Strip for more than 80 days under a complete siege and worsening famine,” it said in a statement on Monday.
It added that Israeli forces had closed all border crossings and “have not permitted a single grain of wheat to enter for nearly three months.”
The statement described the situation as “a deliberate policy of starvation targeting 2.4 million unarmed civilians.”
According to the office, Gaza requires around 500 aid trucks and 50 fuel trucks every day to meet the minimum needs of the population.
Since 2 March, only nine trucks have been allowed in – representing just 0.02% of what should have entered during that period.
The Gaza Media Office said aid convoys are stranded at the borders, and blamed both Israel and the international community for what it described as an unfolding humanitarian crime.
It called for the unconditional and immediate opening of all crossings to allow in essential supplies “before it’s too late.”
Despite international pressure, Israel has kept aid access tightly controlled. On Sunday, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would allow in “a basic quantity of food for the population to prevent the emergence of a hunger crisis.”
According to Israeli broadcaster KAN, an unnamed official said this would be a temporary measure lasting about a week.
During that time, Israeli forces would establish distribution centres in southern Gaza, which will be operated by American companies and overseen by the military.
On Monday, Israeli Army Radio confirmed that the nine trucks cleared earlier were the first deliveries since 2 March.
Aid groups and UN officials have warned that the scale of suffering in Gaza is unprecedented, with entire families surviving on animal feed or going days without food.
The UN has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire and full humanitarian access. But so far, Israel has refused to lift the siege or provide any guarantees for aid workers’ safety.
