UN Warns 14,000 Babies in Gaza Could Die Within Days

The United Nations has issued a stark warning that up to 14,000 infants in Gaza could die within days unless urgent food and medical assistance is delivered, underscoring the catastrophic scale of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the besieged enclave.

The alert comes as Israel allowed a limited number of aid trucks to enter Gaza for the first time in nearly three months, following mounting international pressure to ease the blockade. The UN said it had received permission to send “around 100” aid trucks into the territory, a fraction of the 500 trucks that used to enter Gaza daily before the war.

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher described the situation on the ground as “catastrophic,” warning that the incoming aid amounted to "a drop in the ocean" compared to what is urgently needed. Speaking to the BBC, Fletcher said, “This is not food Hamas is going to steal. We are facing looting, the risk of being bombed, and countless obstacles—but I don’t see a better idea than getting that baby food to those mothers who can no longer feed their children.”

Five trucks reportedly entered Gaza on Monday, delivering limited supplies. But with children dying from malnutrition and dehydration, aid agencies warn that the pace and scale of assistance remain woefully inadequate.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza sharply worsened after the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage. In retaliation, Israel launched a military campaign and imposed a full blockade, cutting off all entry of goods—including food, fuel, and medicine. Since then, only a trickle of aid has been allowed in, leading to what the UN has described as one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory.

As of Tuesday, at least 38 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes within a 30-minute window, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The overall Palestinian death toll has surged past 53,000, with over 300 killed in the 72 hours leading up to May 19 alone.

On the same day aid was partially restored, the United Kingdom, France, and Canada issued a rare joint statement condemning Israel’s blockade and airstrikes, calling the restrictions on humanitarian access “wholly inadequate.” The statement urged an immediate ceasefire and warned of “further concrete actions” if Israel fails to comply with international humanitarian obligations.

In a defiant response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Western leaders of rewarding “the genocidal attack on Israel” and vowed to continue the military campaign until “total victory is achieved.”

Later on Tuesday, the UK government announced it was suspending ongoing negotiations on a new free trade agreement with Israel. Foreign Secretary David Lammy, speaking in the House of Commons, revealed that the Israeli ambassador had been summoned and warned that continued obstruction of humanitarian aid would have diplomatic consequences. “The world is judging. History will judge them,” Lammy said.

On the ground in Gaza, the humanitarian toll is staggering. In Deir al-Balah, one of the last functioning community kitchens struggles to meet the overwhelming need. Oday Basheer, who runs the facility, told TIME that his kitchen now serves over 3,500 people daily—up from just 1,500—using whatever scarce supplies are available.

“Starving people is the most vicious weapon they are using against us,” Basheer said. “You can’t think or function if you’re hungry all the time. Everyone is fighting for food.” He added that while aid trucks were being allowed in, his kitchen had yet to receive anything. “100 trucks won’t be enough to cover anything,” he said.

Food prices have skyrocketed to unprecedented levels. Since March 18, the price of flour has increased by 5,000%, and cooking oil is up 1,200%, putting basic survival out of reach for many families.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s already crippled healthcare infrastructure is collapsing under sustained bombardment. Medical Aid for Palestinians reported fresh attacks on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis—one of the last remaining major medical facilities in southern Gaza. The organisation described the assaults as part of a systematic campaign to dismantle the territory’s health system.

“Nasser Hospital has been hit twice in a week. It is the backbone of healthcare in the south, and if it collapses, Gaza’s health system collapses with it,” the group said, condemning the attacks as violations of international law.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed that Israeli strikes also hit Al Awda Hospital in northern Gaza and forced two clinics in Khan Younis to shut down, including one that was “directly attacked.” On Tuesday, Israel issued new evacuation orders for 40 neighbourhoods in Khan Younis—displacing thousands more and impacting hundreds of humanitarian facilities, including schools, wells, and health centres.

With 14,000 babies at risk of death in the coming days, the UN and international aid agencies are pleading for immediate, unhindered access to Gaza. “We are out of time,” said one UNICEF spokesperson. “These children are not combatants. They are victims—many of them newborns—whose lives hang in the balance of geopolitical decisions.”

As global outrage grows and diplomatic tensions rise, the fate of Gaza’s most vulnerable hangs by a thread. The world watches, but for many in Gaza, help may not come fast enough.