The United Nations has sounded a critical alarm, warning that up to 14,000 babies in Gaza could die within the next 48 hours if humanitarian assistance, particularly baby food, is not delivered swiftly.
After nearly three months of a strict blockade by Israeli authorities, aid is only trickling into the region despite mounting international pressure.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher described the situation as desperate, revealing that just five trucks carrying humanitarian supplies—including essential nutrition for infants—made it into Gaza on Monday. He said the aid is far from sufficient and has not yet reached the communities in dire need.
"There are 14,000 babies that will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them... We run all sorts of risks trying to get that baby food through to those mothers who cannot feed their children right now because they're malnourished," Fletcher told BBC Radio 4.
His stark warning follows a strong joint condemnation by leaders from Britain, France, and Canada. In a unified statement, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney denounced Israel’s ongoing blockade and criticised statements made by some members of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government about the possible mass displacement of Palestinians.
Fletcher welcomed the statement from the three allied nations as a significant shift.
The UN is now attempting to increase the volume of aid reaching Gaza. Fletcher expressed hope that 100 additional trucks loaded with baby food and other supplies will enter the enclave today. "I want to save as many as these 14,000 babies as we can in the next 48 hours," he added.
When asked how the UN estimated the number of at-risk infants, Fletcher explained that assessment teams stationed in medical centres and schools across Gaza had been monitoring conditions on the ground. “We have strong teams on the ground – and of course many of them have been killed... We still have lots of people on the ground – they're at the medical centres, they're at the schools...trying to assess needs," he said.
Under increasing global scrutiny and facing warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu eased the 11-week-long aid blockade late Sunday. While acknowledging a potential “starvation crisis” in Gaza, Netanyahu stated that allowing minimal aid was necessary for “diplomatic reasons.”