The United Nations (UN) humanitarian aid chief, Tom Fletcher, has warned that if sufficient relief does not reach Gaza within the next 48 hours, around 14,000 children could die.
He expressed this concern while speaking with Anna Foster on BBC Radio 4’s program today, according to British media outlet BBC.
Fletcher stated that after Israel lifted its 11-week blockade, only five aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday. However, that aid has yet to reach the local population.
He remains hopeful that 100 trucks will be able to enter Gaza on Tuesday. He added, “We need a flood of humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza.” Instead, he compared the current aid delivery to “a drop of water in the ocean.”
Speaking on the Today program, he said: “We want to save as many of these children as possible in the next 48 hours.”
When asked how the projected number of child deaths was determined, Fletcher replied: “We have a strong field team monitoring the situation closely.”
Meanwhile, doctors have told the BBC that at least 38 Palestinians were killed in Gaza in just half an hour due to overnight Israeli airstrikes.
These attacks occurred at a time when the UK, France, and Canada have warned Israel to halt new military operations in Gaza and to increase the flow of humanitarian aid.
