The United Nations has sounded a grim alarm over the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip, revealing that malnutrition rates among children have reached the highest levels ever recorded — a direct result of Israel’s ongoing blockade and deliberate restrictions on humanitarian aid.

Speaking at the daily press briefing in New York, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, condemned the catastrophic situation: “Starvation and malnutrition, especially among children, continue to deepen. Acute malnutrition among children in Gaza has reached unprecedented levels.”

According to UN data, in July alone, nearly 12,000 Palestinian children aged between six months and five years were identified as acutely malnourished out of 136,000 screened. Over 2,500 children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition — the most deadly form of hunger — and 40 children required emergency hospitalization in stabilization centres.

The UN warned that the situation is worsening at a frightening pace. Between June and July, 18% of all malnourished children were in the severe category, compared to 12% earlier in the year — a clear sign of escalating famine.

Haq placed the blame squarely on Israel’s tightening siege, pointing out that in July humanitarian partners were able to reach only 3% of the 290,000 children under five who require feeding and micronutrient supplements.

“The volume of nutrition supplies entering Gaza remains far below what is needed to stop this disaster from spiraling further out of control,” Haq said.

The same obstruction applies to shelter materials. The UN revealed that more than one million shelter items — including tents, tarpaulins, and essential materials — are stranded in Jordan and Egypt because Israel refuses to approve their entry. Shockingly, no shelter materials have entered Gaza since March 2 despite hundreds of thousands of people being displaced.

A July assessment of 44 displacement sites in Gaza City found that 43 sites had families with no shelter at all. Over 11% of households surveyed reported living completely in the open, exposed to summer heat, disease, and constant airstrikes.

“Most families are in severely overcrowded, unsafe, and undignified conditions — some with nothing over their heads,” Haq said. Existing shelter stocks are gone, and the crisis is worsening as Israel’s bombardment and displacement orders force people to move again and again.

The UN spokesman dismissed Israel’s so-called “tactical pauses” for aid delivery as little more than propaganda. “In reality, conditions remain largely unchanged. Aid that enters is far from enough, and convoys continue to face roadblocks and harassment,” he said.

Fuel — the lifeblood of Gaza’s hospitals, water systems, and aid trucks — remains dangerously scarce. Small quantities have entered in recent days, but supplies are unpredictable, leaving humanitarian agencies unable to sustain lifesaving services.

Haq reiterated the UN’s demand for unimpeded, predictable humanitarian access into and across Gaza, alongside the flow of commercial goods. Without it, the Strip’s two million people — half of them children — face deepening famine, homelessness, and disease.

Human rights groups have repeatedly stated that Israel’s actions amount to collective punishment and a breach of international law. As the siege tightens, Palestinians warn that the world’s inaction is enabling a slow-motion genocide. (ILKHA)