OCHA chief warns of death of 14,000 babies in Gaza within two days

GAZA, May 21 (YPA) – Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Tom Fletcher warned on Tuesday of an impending humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip, with 14,000 babies at risk of dying within the next two days.

Fletcher said in an interview with the BBC that the aid that entered Gaza in a limited number of trucks on Monday has not yet reached those in need, despite more than eleven weeks of a complete Israeli blockade that has prevented any aid from entering.

“The situation requires urgent action,” he said, “We must flood the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid. Lives are at stake.”

Hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza daily before the war. Now, the UN hopes to bring in at least 100 trucks on Tuesday.

The warning came amid a significant deterioration in Gaza’s health infrastructure, with hospitals like Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis struggling to receive patients of children and babies after a severe shortage of medical equipment, medicines, food, and clean drinking water.

The UN Humanitarian workers have warned that the continued blockade and the lack of aid threaten the lives of thousands of civilians, especially children and babies, who are among the most vulnerable in this catastrophic situation.

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