News- Middle East: Five more Palestinians have died of starvation in the past 24 hours in Gaza, as the UN health agency warns that Israel’s "arbitrary denial" of medical teams is fueling a rising death toll across the besieged territory.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Gaza Health Ministry said the number of people who starved to death in the besieged strip during Israel’s war has risen to 193, with the five new confirmed hunger-related deaths coming in the past 24 hours. Among the victims are at least 96 children.

In a post on social media the World Health Organization (WHO) said the “complex” Israeli entry requirements for emergency medical teams (EMT) were “severely impacting availability of health services and leading to more deaths in Gaza.”

The WHO noted that the number of teams being denied entry to Gaza has risen to “nearly 50 percent” since March 18. This includes 102 Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) health professionals.

Several surgeons and specialized doctors have been barred from entering Gaza over the past few months, it added.

“Impeding EMTs from participating in the collective humanitarian response comes at a time when we are receiving daily reports of death due to the ongoing conflict and starvation as Gaza faces the worst-case scenario for famine,” the organization wrote.

“[The] WHO calls for the urgent and expedited facilitation of EMT entry into Gaza,” it added.

The Gaza Health ministry stated at least 135 Palestinians, including 87 aid seekers, had been killed and 771 injured in Israeli attacks across the besieged strip over the past few hours.

According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, Israel had allowed just 843 aid trucks into the besieged strip since July 27 – far short of the 6,000 trucks required to meet the daily needs of residents over 10 days.

The regime has destroyed the besieged Palestinian region and brought it to the verge of famine.

On Tuesday, 20 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded when an aid truck overturned, crushing people seeking aid in central Gaza.

The US-Israeli genocide began in October 2023. The death toll since then tops 61,100, with over 151,400 others injured.

Israel has been facing mounting outrage over its genocidal war in Gaza.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former war minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Source: Press TV