The recent deaths of many more children from hunger in the Gaza Strip suggest that famine has spread throughout the enclave, according to a group of independent human rights experts authorised by the UN on Tuesday.
According to Gaza health officials, at least 33 children have died as a result of hunger, largely in northern communities that had previously borne the brunt of the Israeli military onslaught began following the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on southern Israel.
Since early May, the conflict has moved to southern Gaza, limiting humanitarian flows into the enclave due to limitations imposed by Israel, which has accused UN agencies of failing to transfer supplies efficiently.
In their statement on Tuesday, the group of 11 rights experts mentioned the deaths of three children aged 13, nine, and six months due to malnutrition in the southern district of Khan Younis and the central town of Deir Al-Balah since the end of May.
Their statement, signed by experts including the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, condemned “Israel’s intentional and targeted starvation campaign against the Palestinian people.”
Israel’s diplomatic mission in Geneva said the statement amounted to “misinformation.”
“Israel has continuously scaled up its coordination and assistance in the delivery of humanitarian aid across the Gaza Strip, recently connecting its power line to the Gaza water desalination plant,” it added.
Formally, whether or not a famine occurs is decided by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a United Nations-backed global monitor that uses a set of technical criteria to make its conclusion.
The IPC warned last month that Gaza was still at high risk of hunger as the fighting continued and assistance access was restricted.
Over 495,000 individuals in Gaza, or more than one-fifth of the population, are facing the most severe, or “catastrophic,” degree of food insecurity, according to the report, down from 1.1 million in the previous update.
