UNITED NATIONS, August 11. /TASS/. The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is dire, with 37 children dying of malnutrition in the enclave since July 1, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported.
According to the agency’s spokesman Ramesh Rajasingham, "humanitarian conditions are beyond horrific." "We have frankly run out of words to describe it," he said in a speech at a UN Security Council meeting.
Rajasingham emphasized that the number of deaths from starvation is growing, especially among children with severe malnutrition. "Since the escalation of hostilities in October 2023, the health authorities in Gaza have documented the deaths of 98 children from severe acute malnutrition - 37 alone since July 1 - just over a month ago. So, this is no longer a looming hunger crisis - this is starvation, pure and simple," the OCHA spokesman said.
According to his information, more than 61,000 people have died in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, including at least 18,000 children. Among the dead are "over 500 humanitarian workers killed in Gaza since hostilities escalated, including at least 167 women." Thousands of Palestinians, including women and children, remain in Israeli prisons. "Many are held without charge or trial, or the required safeguards," the OCHA official noted.
Rajasingham called on states to "do what is necessary to end this inhumanity and pain." "It is also what international law demands," he emphasized.
Since March 2, 2025, aid from international humanitarian organizations and UN agencies has ceased reaching the Gaza Strip. In May, Israel, with the support of the United States, established a new scheme for organizing food deliveries to residents of the Strip as an alternative to the traditional aid distribution system. This new scheme involved transferring virtually exclusive rights to establish distribution centers and distribute food and essential goods to the private Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The plan was criticized by international organizations, with the key point of criticism being the location of distribution centers in "safe zones" in southern Gaza that are free from hostilities. Experts say this could lead to the forced displacement of the enclave's residents. Although aid delivery through UN agencies has partially resumed, operations are being conducted on a limited basis.