UN child rights body condemns mass starvation of Gaza children

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child strongly condemned Israel’s ongoing obstruction of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Committee expressed grave concern over reports indicating that more than 14,000 babies could die within hours if life-saving supplies are not allowed into the besieged Strip.

The Committee urged the international community to exert immediate pressure on the Israeli occupation authorities to ensure the sustained and unimpeded delivery of essential food and medical aid.

Citing data from Unicef and the World Health Organisation, the Committee stated that more than 11 weeks of blocked humanitarian access have exacerbated the food security crisis in Gaza.

Over 50 children have already died from starvation, with many more at imminent risk. The Committee warned that if the blockade persists, additional child deaths are inevitable, and up to 71,000 children under the age of five could suffer from acute malnutrition within the next year.

It added that the right to food is a fundamental human right, intrinsically linked to the right to life, and is therefore non-derogable under international law.

The Committee stated that there is no justification for actions that blatantly violate international humanitarian law, as well as international human rights law, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

WAM