21 children dead from malnutrition in 72 hours, Gaza hospital says - as UN blasts Israel's aid blockade
At least 21 Palestinian children have died from malnutrition in just 72 hours, according to medical sources in Gaza, as the UN blames Israel's aid blockade for surging food prices in the territory.
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Dr Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the director of Shifa hospital in Gaza City, added that around 900,000 children in Gaza are suffering from hunger.
At least 70,000 of them are in a state of malnutrition, he warned.
Gaza's health ministry said 33 people in total have died from malnutrition in last 48 hours.
It brings the total number of these deaths to 101, including 80 children, according to the Hamas-run ministry.
It comes as the UN chief Antonio Guterres warns Gaza's 'last lifelines' are collapsing, with humanitarian conditions deteriorating at an 'accelerating' pace.
In a statement UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres's spokesperson said Gaza's humanitarian system 'is being impeded, undermined and endangered'.
A UN spokesperson says Mr Guterres 'deplores the growing reports of children and adults suffering from malnutrition' occurring in Gaza, adding: 'The population in Gaza remains gravely undersupplied with the basic necessities of life'.
Israel imposed a full blockade on Gaza on 2 March, preventing aid deliveries from entering the territory until trucks were again allowed in again in May.
In a post on X, the UN's Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) said the shortages caused food prices to surge by 40 times.
It added that the aid stockpiled in its warehouses outside Gaza could feed 'the entire population for over three months.'
Speaking to LBC on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary David Lammy warned Israel could face further sanctions, insisting the UK is 'not complicit' in what we're seeing in Gaza.
He said he 'regrets hugely' not being able to bring about the end of this 'horrendous' war, but stands by the government's record.
Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari, he said: "We suspended arms sales that could be used in Gaza. We restored funding to UNRWA. We suspended a free trade agreement discussion with the Israeli government.
"Three packages of sanctions for violent settlers. We sanctioned Israeli government ministers. So we have acted and we will act further."
Mr Lammy expressed his continued support for an "enduring ceasefire, not a pause", adding: "This war has got to come to an end."