The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has issued a stark warning, accusing Israel of deliberately starving civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip, including over one million children, many of whom are now suffering from severe malnutrition and face an imminent risk of death.

In a statement released on Sunday via the platform X (formerly Twitter), UNRWA stated that it holds sufficient food supplies for the entire population of Gaza for more than three months, yet Israel continues to block the entry of aid through the Rafah border crossing, which has been sealed since March 2, 2025.

“Lift the blockade: Allow UNRWA to bring in food and medicine,” the agency pleaded, calling on Israel to end the siege and permit humanitarian access.

UNRWA emphasized that logistical systems are fully in place, with warehouses stocked in the Egyptian city of Arish and on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, ready to dispatch food and medicine across Gaza immediately once access is granted.

The Government Media Office in Gaza reported that the number of children who have died from malnutrition has now reached 70, a figure likely to increase unless aid is urgently allowed in. Humanitarian groups warn that one million children are undernourished, many critically, as famine grips the enclave.

UNRWA reiterated on Saturday that its food stocks could sustain the entire population of Gaza — over two million people — for more than three months if deliveries were allowed.

The situation in Gaza has rapidly deteriorated into a full-scale humanitarian catastrophe. The Israeli blockade, which has now lasted for over four months, has cut off food, fuel, water, and medical supplies. The result is a deepening crisis where hospitals are non-functional, disease is spreading, and mass starvation looms.

Humanitarian observers describe the conditions as “man-made famine,” warning that thousands more lives are at risk if the blockade is not lifted immediately. Gaza’s densely populated areas are now filled with emaciated children, collapsed health infrastructure, and widespread desperation.

UNRWA’s appeal adds to a growing international outcry, as human rights organizations, UN agencies, and global medical bodies call on Israel to open the crossings and permit life-saving assistance. Despite repeated calls, Israeli authorities have refused to grant UNRWA or other humanitarian agencies access to the besieged enclave.

“Allow UNRWA to do its work and assist those in need, including one million children,” the agency stressed in its message.

With warehouses full, delivery systems ready, and humanitarian staff on standby, the only barrier to aid reaching starving civilians is Israel’s refusal to permit entry, according to UNRWA.

As the death toll rises and famine tightens its grip on Gaza, UNRWA has renewed its call to the international community to pressure Israel into lifting the blockade and allowing unhindered humanitarian access.

Failure to act, aid groups warn, will result in the avoidable deaths of thousands, especially children — victims of what many are now calling deliberate starvation policies in violation of international humanitarian law. (ILKHA)