In a harrowing warning, the United Nations’ Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, has said that as many as 14,000 babies could die in Gaza within the next 48 hours if humanitarian aid is not urgently delivered.
Fletcher described the figure as “utterly chilling” and called for immediate action to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.
“We must flood the Gaza Strip with aid,” he said during an emergency press briefing.
The warning comes amid a continued Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip that has lasted over 11 weeks.
On Monday, only five aid trucks were allowed to cross the border, but those supplies have reportedly yet to reach the devastated communities in need.
“This is a drop in the ocean,” Fletcher noted, emphasising that far more is needed to prevent starvation and death among the most vulnerable, especially infants.
Two million Gazans are now on the brink of famine, according to the World Health Organisation, with food supplies stranded at the Israeli border.
Human rights organisations and several governments have called on Israel to open access and allow more trucks in.
In a joint statement, the United Kingdom, France, and Canada condemned the blockade as disproportionate, warning of potential sanctions if the offensive continues.
Meanwhile, international pressure is mounting as aid agencies scramble to deliver life-saving nutrition and medical care.
“I want to save as many of these 14,000 babies as we can in the next 48 hours,” Fletcher declared.