UN warns Gaza children face death as Israel fuels ‘manufactured famine’

The head of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency (Unrwa) has warned that children in Gaza face death from malnutrition unless emergency aid is allowed in during Israel’s assault on Gaza City.

Unrwa chief, Philippe Lazzarini, said the number of malnourished children in Gaza City has risen six-fold since March.

“We have a population that is extremely weak that will be confronted with a new major military operation,” he told reporters in Geneva. “Many will simply not have the strength to undergo a new displacement. Many of them will not survive.”

Lazzarini described the crisis as a “manufactured and fabricated famine,” accusing Israel of using food as a weapon of war.

In May, global monitors warned that more than half a million people in Gaza were on the brink of starvation, though they stopped short of declaring a famine.