LONDON
A UK-based charity official has voiced concern over the ongoing starvation in the Gaza Strip, saying that even the smell of cooking has become a "total novelty" these days.
Speaking to the Irish broadcaster RTE, Chris McIntosh, Oxfam's humanitarian response adviser in the besieged Palestinian enclave, reiterated concern over the Israeli blockade that has caused starvation and malnutrition.
He underlined that malnutrition in children is a severe problem because it can cause developmental issues.
"Unlike adults, they don't have the ability to spring back from a period of undernutrition and this affects brain development and a host of other health issues that will be with them for the rest of their lives," said McIntosh.
He further noted that the sight of children searching for food in bins is common, while seeing people eating food becomes rare.
"To smell food being cooked is also a total novelty these days," said the Oxfam official, expressing that the number of trucks allowed into Gaza is "minuscule" compared to what the needs are.
Labelling airdrops of humanitarian aid as an "embarrassing stunt," McIntosh said they are not a dignified way to deliver aid.
He also rejected Israel's claim that aid trucks waiting to enter Gaza do not meet security standards.
"The delays and denials are systemic and policy-driven and they have nothing to do with NGOs not meeting basic requirements or not following security rules," added the NGO official.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, more than 100 humanitarian organizations around the world called for an end to Israel's "weaponization of aid," amid the ongoing crippling humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
Most major international NGOs have been unable to deliver a single truck of lifesaving supplies since March 2.
Israel has killed nearly 61,800 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.
Gaza’s hunger crisis has spiraled into a humanitarian catastrophe. The Government Media Office in Gaza noted that 1.2 million children face “severe food insecurity,” and at least 239 Palestinians, including 106 children, have died from starvation since October 2023.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.