News- Middle East: Israeli forces are killing an average of 28 children every day in Gaza– the equivalent of wiping out an entire classroom, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

UNICEF said in a post on X on Tuesday that the children are dying due to the regime’s ongoing bombardment of the territory and its inhumane restrictions on the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian assistance.

“Death by bombardments. Death by malnutrition and starvation. Death by lack of aid and vital services,” the UN agency wrote.

UNICEF reiterated that children in Gaza are in urgent need of food, clean water, medicine, and protection. “More than anything, they need a ceasefire – NOW."

Since Israel launched its devastating war on Gaza in October 2023, more than 18,000 children, roughly one every hour, have been killed.

In the last 24 hours alone, at least eight Palestinians, including one child, have starved to death in the besieged strip.

Israel is deliberately starving Gaza’s youngest population through its continued blockade and the closure of all border crossings.

Last month, the Gaza Media Office warned that over 100,000 children, including 40,000 infants under the age of one, were facing imminent death due to the total lack of baby formula and nutritional supplements. It described the crisis as a “massacre in slow motion.”

According to the office, Palestinian mothers have resorted to feeding their babies only water for days, in the absence of formula, while hospitals and health centers are overwhelmed with cases of acute and life-threatening malnutrition.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), out of the 74 malnutrition-related deaths recorded this year, 63 occurred in July alone – including 24 children under five, one child over five, and 38 adults.

WHO said most of these victims were declared dead on arrival at health facilities or died shortly afterwards, with their bodies showing clear signs of severe wasting. It warned that this crisis remains entirely preventable.

The UN special rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, who first warned in early 2024 that Israel was orchestrating a campaign of deliberate mass starvation in Gaza, now says the international community cannot feign surprise at the horror unfolding.

“Israel has built the most efficient starvation machine you can imagine," Fakhri told the Guardian. "So while it’s always shocking to see people being starved, no one should act surprised. All the information has been out in the open since early 2024."

“Israel is starving Gaza. It’s genocide. It’s a crime against humanity. It’s a war crime,” he stated.

Source: Press TV