The UN's humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher has warned 14,000 babies in Gaza could die within 48 hours if more lorries of aid does not enter the territory.
Fletcher spoke to the BBC about the dismal amount of aid Israel is letting into Gaza. He said the aid lorries, which contain baby food and nutrition, are technically in Gaza but have not reached civilians as they are just on the other side of the border.
Fletcher further explained only five aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday, a “drop in the ocean” after an 11-weeks of complete blockade by Israel.
“We run all sorts of risks trying to get that baby food through to those mothers who cannot feed their children right now because they're malnourished.”
“I want to save as many as these 14,000 babies as we can in the next 48 hours,” Fletcher was quoted as saying by the BBC.
Asked how the UN arrived at this figure, he responded: “We have strong teams on the ground and of course many of them have been killed… we still have lots of people on the ground they are at the medical centres, they are at the schools... trying to assess needs.”
He also informed that the UN hopes to get another 100 trucks into Gaza on Wednesday, loaded with baby food and nutrition.
His comments came after the United Kingdom, France and Canada released a joint statement condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza, warning the allies would take “concrete actions” unless he changes course, and calling for an end to restrictions on humanitarian aid.
Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Mark Carney said: “We strongly oppose the expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable.
“Yesterday’s announcement that Israel will allow a basic quantity of food into Gaza is wholly inadequate.”
They also warned Israel’s denial of aid was “unacceptable and risks breaching international humanitarian law”.
Amid International pressure over the looming famine in Gaza, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to ease the devastating 11-week aid blockade on Sunday night. He said it was necessary for Israel to prevent a "starvation crisis" in Gaza for "diplomatic reasons" - but only to a minimum level.