A chilling warning from UN agencies paints a grim picture of Gaza’s humanitarian collapse, with children bearing the brunt of a man-made starvation crisis. OCHA, along with other UN bodies, cautions that Israeli control over aid flows, limiting food entry and imposing chaotic distributions, is being used as a tool of engineered deprivation. This strategy has left the most vulnerable, children, women, the elderly, the sick, and even healthcare workers, struggling or dying as they vie for dwindling rations. Witnesses liken scenes at aid points to “zombie chaos,” where only the strongest emerge with supplies, while the weakest cannot survive.

The physical toll is devastating: acute malnutrition among Gaza’s children has soared, with thousands diagnosed in recent weeks and hospitals overwhelmed. Long-term consequences include irreversible damage to growth, immunity, and cognitive development, threatening an entire generation.

The UN’s call is unmistakable: to avert catastrophe, safe humanitarian corridors must be opened without delay, and aid must enter consistently, without obstruction or politicisation.