Gaza: Worst Famine Fears Realized as 10th Child Reportedly ‘Starves to Death’

UN officials have reiterated their warning of the imminent danger of famine in Gaza as the number of children dying from hunger continues to increase.

“The official records yesterday or this morning said there was a tenth child officially registered in a hospital as having starved to death,” said UN health agency spokesperson Christian Lindmeier.

During a press conference held by United Nations agencies in Geneva, Lindmeier stated, “It is a very sad threshold… but unfortunately, the unofficial numbers can be expected to be higher.”

Regarding the ongoing spread of diseases, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated that the medical point affiliated with the Palestinian Red Crescent in Jabalia, northern Gaza, receives between 100 and 150 cases of viral hepatitis daily.

In the West Bank, the office reported that a Palestinian child was killed in the village of Beit Furik in Nablus, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including occupied Al-Quds, to 406, including 103 children, since October 7th.

A team from the United Nations visited Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, bringing with them medicines, vaccines, and fuel to assist in ensuring the continuity of the health facility’s operations.

The team, consisting of members from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF, also met with several wounded individuals who were injured on Thursday while seeking life-saving assistance in western Gaza City.

Reports indicate that Al-Shifa Hospital received over 700 injured individuals on Friday, with 200 of them still in the hospital. The hospital staff informed the UN team that they also received the bodies of over 70 individuals who were killed in the incident.

This is the first time a UN convoy has been able to deliver aid to northern Gaza in over a week.

Filippo Grandi, the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, stated that the decision of the European Union Commission to grant the agency 50 million euros comes at a critical time. He explained that this is part of 82 million euros in aid that will be implemented through UNRWA during the current year.

The UN official stated that this will support the agency’s efforts to maintain essential and life-saving services for Palestinian refugees throughout the region. UNRWA supports approximately 5.9 million refugees in five areas: Gaza, the West Bank (including East Al-Quds), Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

Grandi mentioned that the European Union has long been a partner to UNRWA in assisting Palestinian refugees in the region. He emphasized that providing their full financial contribution to the agency is crucial in maintaining its operations in an extremely volatile area.

The European Union was among the donors who suspended their funding to UNRWA after allegations made by Israel that 12 agency employees participated in attacks on October 7th. The United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services is conducting an investigation into these claims.

Before the presentation of these allegations, the UNRWA Commissioner-General requested an independent external review of the agency from the UN Secretary-General.