Geneva, March 5 (RHC)-- Children are dying of starvation and dehydration in northern Gaza as Israel’s throttling of aid has cut off the supply of vital resources into the area for months, according to the Director-General of World Health Organization (WHO).

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke of “grim findings” at two hospitals in northern Gaza, after a WHO team finally managed to visit the area for the first time since October.  He wrote in a message on the X on Monday that “the lack of food resulted in the deaths of 10 children,” at Kamal Adwan Hospital - the only pediatrics hospital in the north of Gaza.

“Severe levels of malnutrition, children dying of starvation, serious shortages of fuel, food and medical supplies, hospital buildings destroyed.”

Tedros further said that the situation at Al-Awda Hospital — the second facility visited in Gaza by the WHO team — was “particularly appalling as one of the buildings is destroyed.”  He said the visits were the UN agency’s first since Israel started its brutal military campaign in the Palestinian territory “despite our efforts to gain more regular access to the north of Gaza.”

Ever since, many humanitarian agencies have had to halt operations in Gaza, meaning hundreds of thousands of people will not have access to aid.  The WHO team’s visit to the north follows reports that six children died from dehydration and malnutrition at the two hospitals.

The Israeli regime’s offensive targeted began in October in Gaza’s north - where one in six children under age two — or 15.6% — is acutely malnourished.

The area, home to an estimated 300,000 people, is now left in ruins, with 80% of its buildings destroyed.  The medical facilities have gone out of service owing to a lack of fuel to run their generators. 

“Civilians, especially children, and health staff need scaled-up help immediately. But the key medicine all these patients need is peace. Ceasefire,” said Ghebreyesus.

The United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, has also called for urgent action, requesting “multiple reliable entry points” to allow them to bring aid.  UNICEF said it was also aware of at least 10 children dying due to dehydration and malnutrition in recent days at Kamal Adwan Hospital.