ISTANBUL

The UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said Friday that one in three children in the Gaza Strip had no food at all over the past 24 hours due to the lack of supplies caused by the Israeli blockade.

Israel has been starving Palestinians as part of a genocide it has waged against them for two years, killing 442 Palestinians as part of a wider toll of 65,502 killed and 167,376 injured, most of them women and children, in bloody attacks.

In a brief statement, UNRWA said: “According to a rapid needs assessment in #Gaza by the IRC, one in three young children went a full day without food in the past 24 hours.”

It stressed that “the toll on children and their childhood is unbearable.”

Given these dire conditions, many children have been forced into work, “begging, looting or child labor,” the statement added.

The UN agency reiterated its urgent call for an immediate ceasefire, saying: “Gaza’s children need a #CeasefireNow.”

On Wednesday, the International Rescue Committee said in a statement: “One in three young children went a full day without food in the past 24 hours, 70% of children are having trouble sleeping and nearly one in five are withdrawn or silent.”

It also noted that “only 1% of households in Gaza are considered food secure,” while most families with children under five reported clear signs of malnutrition.

Since March 2, Israel has closed all crossings into Gaza, preventing food, medicine, and humanitarian aid from entering, plunging the enclave into famine despite the buildup of relief trucks at its borders.

Israel occasionally allows in very limited amounts of aid, but these fail to meet even the minimum needs of the starving population. Most trucks, moreover, are looted by gangs that Gaza’s authorities say are protected by Israel.​​​​​​​

On Aug. 22, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Global Initiative declared famine in Gaza City and warned it would spread to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of September.