Lack of aid could kill 14,000 babies in Gaza in next 48 hours, says UN chief

The UN’s humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said on Tuesday that 14,000 babies in Gaza could die in the next 48 hours if aid doesn’t reach them.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Fletcher denounced the limited amount of aid entering the Strip, saying that only five trucks of aid were allowed into the enclave on Monday, which he described as only “a drop in the ocean”.

Although aid lorries are technically in Gaza, the UN chief said supplies, which contain baby food and nutrition, are not reaching civilians.

“I want to save as many as these 14,000 babies as we can in the next 48 hours,” he told the BBC.

“We have strong teams on the ground - and of course many of them have been killed … we still have lots of people on the ground - they’re at the medical centres, they’re at the schools ... trying to assess needs,” Fletcher replied to a question on how the UN learned about this figure.

Fletcher said he hopes that 100 trucks well enter Gaza on Tuesday.

“It’ll be tough ... but we’ll load those up with baby food and our people will run those risks,” he added.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel would allow basic aid into Gaza to prevent a “starvation crisis”.