Palestinian walk carrying sacks of flour near Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on July 27, 2025, after planes dropped aid into Gaza. Photo by BASHAR TALEB / AFP
New York: United Nations' Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said on Monday that one in three people in Gaza has not eaten for days, calling for the rapid delivery of aid and the establishment of a permanent ceasefire.
In a statement on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, Fletcher stressed that "Gaza is experiencing a humanitarian crisis before the eyes of the world," noting that those trying to obtain food aid are being shot at, and children are "melting" from hunger.
He explained that one in three people in Gaza has not eaten for days, and said: "Aid should not be blocked, delayed, or distributed under attack."
He stressed that aid convoys must be granted permission to cross borders quickly, and emphasized the need to end the targeting of people trying to obtain food aid.
Gaza is experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis in its history, with a severe famine intersecting with a genocidal war waged by Israel since October 7, 2023.
Since March 2, 2025, Israel has closed all crossings with the Strip and prevented the entry of most food and medical aid, causing widespread famine within the Strip.
According to the latest figures, 134 Palestinians, including 88 children, have died from famine and malnutrition since October 7, 2023.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) warned that malnutrition among children under the age of five doubled between March and June as a result of the ongoing blockade.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization confirmed that malnutrition rates in Gaza have reached alarming levels, and that the deliberate blockade and delays in aid have caused many lives lost. Nearly one in five children under the age of five in Gaza City suffer from acute malnutrition.
