The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has issued a stark warning that thousands of severely malnourished children in the Gaza Strip are at risk of certain death unless immediate humanitarian aid reaches them.

Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said the situation has reached catastrophic levels, particularly in northern Gaza, where an estimated one million people remain trapped amid devastation and blockades. “If no measures are taken immediately, they are certainly condemned to death,” he warned.

According to Lazzarini, Gaza’s health system is overwhelmed, with UNRWA health centers recording a sixfold increase in cases of severe malnutrition among children since March. He stressed that hunger-related deaths are already being reported in the besieged territory and warned that the toll will inevitably rise without swift international action.

An updated evaluation of famine progression in Gaza is expected to be released soon, which Lazzarini said would provide further evidence of the worsening humanitarian crisis. “Hunger is already causing deaths in Gaza, and there will be more, there’s no doubt about it,” he added.

The dire warning comes as Gaza’s population continues to suffer from widespread food shortages, collapsing medical infrastructure, and restricted humanitarian access. Aid agencies have repeatedly urged the international community to ensure safe and sustained deliveries of food, medicine, and relief supplies to avert a mass famine among Palestinians. (ILKHA)