The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has issued a warning about a significant increase in malnutrition cases as Israel’s total blockade of the besieged Palestinian territory entered its 103rd day.
In a statement released on Sunday, the agency noted that one of its clinics in Gaza has reported a rise in malnutrition cases since March, when the Israeli siege began.
‘UNRWA hasn’t been permitted to bring in any humanitarian aid since then,’ it stated.
Dozens of Palestinian children have died from hunger in Gaza since October 2023, and the healthcare system is on the brink of collapse due to Israel’s bombing and destruction of hospitals and health centres.
As complications from severe malnutrition increase, children requiring hospitalisation face a deteriorating health system.
UNRWA also highlighted that the ongoing closure of border crossings by Israel has obstructed the entry of fuel, medicines, and medical equipment.
‘Despite a critical shortage of supplies essential for treatment, our teams continue their work in Gaza to support the most vulnerable, including conducting nutritional assessments for children,’ it added.
The ongoing fuel crisis poses a threat to the remaining medical facilities still operational in the Strip. ‘The fuel shortage in Gaza has reached critical levels,’ UNRWA stated in a joint message with several UN organisations.
The agency further warned of a potential ‘collapse of humanitarian efforts’ in Gaza, as vital services – including hospital operations, water systems, sanitation networks, and ambulance services – are seriously affected.
‘Without adequate fuel, UN agencies responding to this crisis may be compelled to cease their operations entirely, directly impacting all essential services in Gaza,’ it warned.
‘This means no health services, no clean water, and no capacity to deliver aid,’ it stressed, calling for a consistent supply of sufficient fuel to enter the Gaza Strip to ‘sustain life-saving operations.’
These warnings come amidst continued Israeli military aggression targeting starving Palestinians.
In Gaza, the UN human rights office has documented the killing of nearly 800 Palestinians seeking aid from Israeli forces, with most deaths occurring at aid points managed by the controversial Israel-US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has maintained a relentless offensive on the Gaza Strip since October 7th, 2023, resulting in the deaths of over 58,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children.
The ongoing bombardment has devastated the besieged region, leading to food shortages and the spread of diseases.
Fifteen Palestinians were killed, including renowned surgeon Dr Ahmed Qandil, in an Israeli occupation forces’ (IOF) airstrike that targeted a civilian gathering at the Al-Samar intersection in central Gaza City on Sunday afternoon.
Dr Qandil, a leading general surgeon and senior consultant at Al-Ma’amadani Hospital, was widely respected for his medical skill and unwavering commitment to treating the wounded amid Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza mourned Dr Qandil, describing him as ‘a pillar of the medical staff’ who served tirelessly under siege and bombardment.
‘Dr Qandil worked day and night in the corridors of Gaza’s hospitals until he was martyred while performing his humanitarian duty,’ the ministry said in an official statement.
Dr Qandil’s colleagues praised his professionalism, humanity, and mentorship to younger doctors. Dr Munir Al-Bursh, Director General of the Gaza Health Ministry, said the IOF assassination is part of a systematic campaign against Gaza’s health sector.
‘Dr Qandil’s martyrdom is not an exception,’ Al-Bursh wrote on X, ‘but one of 1,588 health workers, including doctors, nurses, and paramedics, who were deliberately targeted while saving lives.’
He added: ‘Hospitals have become military targets, ambulances turned into moving coffins.’
He concluded: ‘Why is a doctor being killed? Because he gives life.’
Sunday’s strike also hit a popular market filled with displaced people, killing at least 15 civilians, including a child, and injuring over 50 others. Civil defence teams reported ongoing rescue efforts under extreme conditions.
In a separate IOF strike the same day, four more civilians were killed in Gaza City, bringing the toll to 19 within hours as Israel intensified its attacks on residential areas and markets.
Since October 7th, 2023, Israel has waged a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, killing and wounding over 195,000 Palestinians – most of them women and children – and displacing hundreds of thousands.
More than 10,000 remain missing, and famine conditions continue to claim lives, especially among children.
Despite multiple rulings by the International Court of Justice and international condemnation, Israel – backed by the US – continues its campaign of extermination against the Palestinian people.
On Sunday, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) announced that Handala, its civilian aid boat, has officially set sail from Siracusa, Italy, starting its journey to the Gaza Strip.
‘This marks a bold step in our ongoing effort to challenge Israel’s illegal, deadly blockade of the Palestinian people in Gaza.
‘The boat carries life-saving humanitarian aid and a message of solidarity from people around the world refusing to stay silent as Gaza is starved, bombed, and buried under rubble,’ FFC said in a statement.
This mission comes just weeks after Israel’s illegal attack on the Madleen, another Freedom Flotilla boat, which was violently seized in international waters.
Twelve unarmed civilians, including a member of the European Parliament, a doctor, journalists, and human rights defenders, were kidnapped by Israeli commandos and taken against their will to Israel, where they were interrogated, abused, and then deported.
Their crime was attempting to bring food, medicine, and solidarity to Palestinians under siege.
‘Handala sails in the shadow of ongoing mass atrocities.
‘Since March 18, 2025, when Israel broke the ceasefire and resumed attacks on Gaza, at least 6,572 Palestinians have been killed and over 23,000 injured, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Among them, over 700 were gunned down as they waited for food at distribution points controlled by the US and Israel-backed ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’ (GHF), a death trap masquerading as an aid scheme, a structure of control and cruelty serving Israel’s genocide,’ the coalition’s statement read.
‘Handala is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a grassroots international network that has been sailing against the blockade since 2010. On board are volunteer medics, lawyers, social justice activists, journalists, and community organisers. We are not governments. We are people, taking action where institutions have failed,’ the statement added.
Once again, FFC has partnered with ‘Forensic Architecture’ and equipped the Handala with an advanced tracking system.
‘This technology plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of those on board, maintaining transparency about the vessel’s location, and holding potential aggressors accountable for their actions,’ FCC said in another statement.