Geneva — The head of the World Health Organization has issued a searing rebuke of Israel’s handling of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, warning that the deliberate withholding of food supplies is pushing civilians to the brink of mass death.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared that more than 370 Palestinians, including over 130 children, have already perished from hunger and malnutrition since the conflict began last October — a toll he described as both “shameful and avoidable.”
“This is not an unavoidable consequence of war,” he told journalists. “It is the direct result of choices. And it could be reversed immediately if those choices were different.”
Famine Amid Blockade
The United Nations formally recognized famine conditions in Gaza two weeks ago, citing systematic barriers to aid deliveries. Trucks loaded with food remain stalled at checkpoints, often within sight of the communities they are meant to serve.
“People are starving while lifelines sit just across the border,” Tedros said. “Starvation is being used as a weapon — an act that international law classifies as a war crime.”
Israel has denied obstructing humanitarian shipments, maintaining that shortages stem from Hamas’ mismanagement and hoarding of supplies.
Mounting Deaths and Disease
The health ministry in Gaza reports that the death toll from hunger has risen sharply in recent months, with more than 300 of the recorded deaths occurring in just the last eight weeks.
Doctors inside the territory warn that hunger is eroding immune systems and accelerating the spread of disease. WHO field reports indicate over a hundred recent cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a potentially paralyzing condition that can emerge following infections.
More than 15,000 patients also require urgent treatment outside Gaza, yet evacuation approvals remain bottlenecked. At least 700 have died while waiting for permission to leave, nearly 140 of them children.
Calls for Intervention
Tedros appealed not only to Israel but also to its allies, urging them to apply immediate pressure to stop what he called “an inhumane war of attrition.”
“The starvation of Gaza’s people will not secure Israel’s safety, nor will it free the hostages,” he insisted. “It only sets a precedent that tomorrow’s wars might normalize starvation as a tactic.”
As the death toll climbs, the WHO chief’s warning echoes a broader question reverberating through the international community: how long will the world tolerate a crisis that aid groups say could end — literally overnight — if access were granted?
