UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has issued a grave warning that 14,000 children could die in Gaza in the next 48 hours. He made this alarming statement during an interview with BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday (20 May).
According to Fletcher, the Israeli blockade on Gaza could lead to the deaths of these children due to a lack of food.
Amid mounting international pressure, Israel allowed humanitarian aid trucks to enter Gaza yesterday, Monday, for the first time in nearly two and a half months. However, only five trucks entered the region, home to more than two million people. Fletcher described this as “a drop in the ocean” and said it is by no means sufficient for the people of Gaza.
The UN official further stated that the aid trucks that entered yesterday included food and nutritional supplies for children. However, these trucks only crossed the Israeli border into Gaza, and their contents have not yet reached the general population.
A ceasefire between the occupying Israeli forces and the Palestinian armed group Hamas was in effect on January 19 this year. But at the beginning of March, the occupying forces violated the agreement and resumed brutal attacks on Gaza. So far, 53,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza. Additionally, nearly 150,000 people have been injured.
As Israel has continued to block aid trucks from entering and left Palestinians starving, international pressure has been increasing. On Monday, Israel allowed only five trucks to enter Gaza, which has further fueled criticism.