GENEVA

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on Wednesday condemned the continued blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza for over 2 months, warning of a worsening hunger crisis that has already killed over 50 children.

"More than eleven weeks after the obstruction of humanitarian access, the food security crisis is deteriorating rapidly to the point that more than 50 children have died from hunger and many others are on the verge of death," the committee said in a statement, citing UNICEF and WHO data. "If the blockade continues, more children will die and up to 71,000 children under five could suffer from acute malnutrition over the next year."

Declaring the right to food "a fundamental human right, intrinsically linked to the right to life," the committee stressed it is "non-derogable under international law."

It also "strongly" condemned Israel's military actions in Gaza, saying they are killing and maiming children on a "massive daily scale," with more than 100 children reportedly killed last week alone.

"There is no justification for actions that clearly defy international humanitarian law as well as international human rights law," it said, referencing the Conventions on the Rights of the Child and the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

It urged Israel to stop the killing of children, ensure their right to life and development, and allow "safe and unrestricted humanitarian access throughout the Gaza Strip."

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 53,700 Palestinians, most of them women and children.