The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has accused Israel of deliberately blocking the entry of baby formula and vaccines into the Gaza Strip, warning that the trickle of aid currently allowed in is “a drop in the ocean” compared to the desperate needs of more than two million people under siege.

UNRWA’s media adviser told Al Jazeera that airdrops, often showcased by international partners, cannot replace the consistent flow of essential supplies through land crossings. He stressed that the real death toll from hunger and malnutrition, particularly among children, is far higher than official figures reveal.

By continuing to withhold life-saving materials, especially for infants and young children, Israel is deepening a humanitarian crisis that Palestinians say amounts to collective punishment. For many families in Gaza, the blockade means not just the loss of homes and safety, but the slow, preventable deaths of their youngest.