ISTANBUL 

Israel is deliberately starving millions and killing children in Gaza, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories said Sunday.

Francesca Albanese’s remarks came in response to reports of a disabled Palestinian named Mohammad al-Sawafiri dying from hunger in the besieged enclave.

“My generation was taught Nazism was the greatest evil; and it was; and colonial crimes should've not been omitted,” Albanese wrote on X.

“Today,” she continued, “a state (Israel) starving millions/shooting children for sport, shielded by democracies & dictators alike, is the new abyss of cruelty.”

Albanese concluded with a pointed question: “How will we survive this??”

Earlier Sunday, the Gaza Health Ministry said Israel’s starvation policy in the besieged enclave has killed 86 Palestinians -- 76 of them children -- due to hunger and malnutrition caused by Israel’s blockade, which has prevented the entry of aid since October 2023.

The ministry described in a statement the situation as a “silent massacre” against the population of Gaza, which has been under a blockade for years.

It noted that 18 people had starved to death in Gaza in the last 24 hours, calling for the immediate reopening of the enclave’s border crossings to allow the entry of food and medicine.

Israel has sealed all crossings with Gaza since March 2, effectively cutting off access to humanitarian aid and accelerating the spread of famine.

Israel has killed nearly 59,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. Relentless bombing has destroyed the enclave, almost collapsed the health system, and created famine-like conditions.

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.