The World Food Programme has expressed grave concern, warning of the potential for deaths from severe malnutrition among civilians, particularly as the humanitarian situation deteriorates and aid access is obstructed.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Michael Fakhri, accused Israel of committing serious crimes in the Gaza Strip, noting that what is happening there amounts to genocide and war crimes, with the systematic use of starvation as a weapon against civilians.

"Israel is using the lives of Palestinian children as bargaining chips," Fakhri said, emphasizing that the United Nations has used all available legal and humanitarian terms to describe the scale of the atrocities being committed in the Gaza Strip.

The UN official added that Israel "systematically uses food as a weapon," referring to the severe restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid and the disastrous effects this has had on the population, especially children.

In the same context, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories (OCHA) stated that the number of children receiving treatment for malnutrition in Gaza due to the ongoing Israeli blockade and the closure of crossings has increased by 80% compared to last March.

The UN office noted in a statement that 92% of infants between the ages of 6 months and 2 years do not receive their minimum basic nutritional needs from their mothers, exposing them to serious health risks that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. It also noted that 65% of the population of the Gaza Strip lacks access to clean drinking water.

These statements come at a time of growing international concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, amid warnings of a looming famine and assertions from human rights organizations that Israeli restrictions are causing unprecedented suffering for civilians.