The United Nations condemns the mass starvation of children amid the aid blockade.

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child condemned the continued obstruction of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

In a statement on Wednesday, it expressed concern over reports that more than 14,000 infants could die within hours if life-saving supplies are not allowed in.

The committee urged the international community to pressure the Israeli occupation to allow immediate and sustainable access to essential food and medical supplies.

"After more than 11 weeks of obstructing humanitarian access, the food security crisis is rapidly deteriorating, with more than 50 children already starving to death and many more on the brink of starvation," the committee said, citing figures from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization. "If the blockade continues, more children will die, and up to 71,000 children under the age of five could suffer from acute malnutrition over the next year."

She added: "The right to food is a fundamental human right, closely linked to the right to life, and therefore non-derogable under international law."

She condemned the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, adding: "Attacks kill and maim women and children, including the killing of at least 116 children last week, even before accounting for casualties from today's raids. These attacks occur on a daily basis, pushing the humanitarian situation to a critical point. There is no justification for actions that clearly defy international humanitarian law, as well as international human rights law, including the Conventions on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide."

The Committee reiterated the importance of the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice issued on 19 July, along with its orders issued on 26 January and 24 May of last year, in the case of South Africa v. Israel, concerning the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip.

She addressed the findings of her country review of Israel, adopted last September, and urged it to "take immediate action to ensure the right to life, survival, and development of all Palestinian children, stop the killing and injury of children in Gaza, and allow safe and unrestricted access for humanitarian assistance throughout the Gaza Strip."