UN warns Gaza children ‘bombed, starved, buried alive’

News Desk

New York: The humanitarian situation in Gaza has further deteriorated as intensified Israeli strikes on Gaza City inflict mounting civilian casualties and force displaced residents to live in overcrowded, unsanitary, and unsafe conditions, UN aid agencies warned.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the bombardment of tents, residential buildings, and key infrastructure in Gaza City continues to cause heavy loss of life.

Several health facilities and community kitchens have shut down this month, worsening the plight of civilians trapped in the enclave.

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher issued an urgent warning about the catastrophic impact of the war on Gaza’s children, describing them as “killed while sleeping, playing, queuing for food and water, seeking medical care.”

He added: “They’ve been bombed, maimed, starved, burned alive, buried in the rubble of their homes, separated from their parents… scraping through the rubble for food, enduring amputations without anaesthetic.”

Fletcher reiterated calls for the International Court of Justice’s provisional measures—requiring Israel to facilitate urgent assistance across Gaza—to be implemented without delay.

Key UN Updates on Gaza:

On 19 September, a four-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl were killed, and others injured, when their tent in Al Mawasi, Khan Younis, was struck, OCHA reported.

Amid famine, a two-kilogram bundle of bread now costs more than $9, compared to 30 cents at UN-supported bakeries earlier this year.

Between 17–23 September, only 35 out of 94 planned aid missions across Gaza received Israeli clearance.

No aid deliveries have reached northern Gaza since the Zikim crossing closed on 12 September, forcing aid partners to move supplies through the south, despite congestion and insecurity along Al Rashid Road.

A sharp decline in food distribution has occurred: community kitchens reduced daily meals by 50,000 this week in northern Gaza compared with 109,000 last weekend.

In the south, displaced families are squeezed into makeshift tents on beaches, overcrowded schools, or left sleeping in the open amid rubble. Basic services are operating “beyond capacity,” according to UN teams.

Read More: https://thepenpk.com/an-indian-village-gets-electricity-for-first-time-in-78-years/

Fighting between Palestinian armed groups and Israeli forces was reported in Gaza City, alongside rocket fire into Israel on 21 September.

Israeli strikes continue to hit residential buildings and shelters. Between 19–20 September, at least 51 Palestinians were killed in 18 separate attacks on residential areas; nearly all victims were civilians, the UN human rights office said.

“Additional waves of displacement,” especially from Gaza City, are being triggered by evacuation orders, ground operations, and bombardments, OCHA stressed.

The Allenby Bridge crossing between Jordan and the occupied West Bank remains closed following the killing of two Israeli soldiers by a Jordanian truck driver. In August, about 25 percent of relief supplies entering Gaza through the UN’s 2720 mechanism came via Jordan.

Civilian Toll Rising

Latest figures from Gaza’s health ministry indicate that in the week to 24 September, 357 Palestinians were killed and 1,463 injured. Since 7 October 2023, more than 65,400 Palestinians have been killed and 167,160 injured.

Casualties are also rising among those seeking aid supplies: since 27 May 2025, 2,531 people have been killed and over 18,531 injured during aid distributions.

In addition, by 19 September, 440 malnutrition-related deaths had been documented since the conflict began, including 147 children, underscoring the deepening hunger crisis across the Strip.