UN Child Rights Body Denounces Gaza Aid Blockade, Warns of Malnutrition Crisis

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has issued a powerful condemnation of the continued obstruction of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, sounding the alarm on the unfolding food security and health crisis that is particularly endangering children. In a strongly worded statement, the Committee called on the international community to apply urgent and sustained pressure on Israel to lift the blockade and allow unrestricted access for food, water, and medical supplies.

Mounting Toll on Children

According to figures from UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) cited by the Committee, more than 50 children in Gaza have already died from hunger. The crisis has now reached such extremes that up to 71,000 children under the age of five are at risk of developing acute malnutrition over the next year if the blockade continues.

“More than eleven weeks have passed since the severe obstruction of humanitarian aid began, and the situation is deteriorating rapidly,” the Committee said. “We are now seeing a crisis where children are dying of hunger, and many more are on the brink of starvation.”

The Committee emphasized that the right to food is a non-derogable human right, intrinsically linked to the right to life, and that any obstruction of this right is a violation of international law. “The right to food is fundamental and cannot be suspended under any circumstances,” it stated.

Escalating Military Violence

In addition to the worsening humanitarian blockade, the Committee harshly criticized Israel’s continued military operations in Gaza, which it says are being carried out on a “massive and daily scale” and disproportionately affect children and women. Citing credible reports, the Committee noted that more than 100 children were killed in just one week, not including the casualties from the most recent attacks.

“These actions clearly defy international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” the Committee asserted, referring to violations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Geneva Conventions, and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Legal References and International Accountability

The Committee reaffirmed the importance of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s Advisory Opinion issued on 19 July 2024, as well as provisional measures ordered on 26 January and 24 May 2024 in the case South Africa v. Israel, which deals with alleged violations of the Genocide Convention in Gaza.

“The ICJ’s legal findings are clear. Israel must ensure the protection of civilians, especially children, and must facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid. Failure to do so not only endangers innocent lives but also undermines the very fabric of international justice and accountability,” the Committee stated.

A Call for Immediate Action

Recalling its country review on Israel conducted in September 2024, the UN Committee reiterated its demand that Israel fulfill its international obligations by:

• Ensuring the right to life, survival, and development of all Palestinian children.

• Halting the killing and injuring of children in Gaza.

• Allowing safe, timely, and unrestricted humanitarian access throughout the Gaza Strip.

“The suffering of children in Gaza is not collateral damage. It is the direct result of inaction, obstruction, and a failure to uphold the most basic principles of humanity,” the Committee warned.

The Committee concluded its statement by urging the international community to rise to its moral and legal responsibilities, ensuring that all efforts are made to bring immediate relief to Gaza’s children and to hold those responsible for violations accountable.