Some 80% of the population of Gaza is on the brink of severe famine – with children dying in the streets from malnutrition.

ActionAid is warning that the vast majority of the enclave is at the second highest level of famine possible – with Gaza now “one of the worst places in the world for child malnutrition”.

More than 30,000 people have been killed in the Israeli onslaught since it began last October, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The organisation this morning said two of the 79 people who died overnight were children who died in hospital from “dehydration and malnutrition.”

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, ActionAid CEO Karol Balfe said people in Northern Gaza are so desperate for food, they are foraging for grass and weeds.

“The situation is absolutely catastrophic and dire; we have been warning for months about the risk of famine due to food shortages and unfortunately, the very clear warning is that famine is now on our doorsteps,” she said.

“This is particularly severe in the north of Gaza where around 300,000 people have pretty much been cut off from aid since this latest round of bombardment began.

“Those people are absolutely desperate and starving and I mean, the entire population of Gaza is at some level of risk.

“There are five ways we categorise a famine with five being the most severe – famine with the death and destitution and extreme levels of acute malnutrition that brings.

“80% of the population is already at the fourth phase which is emergency and the entire population is at crisis level.”

‘Man-made situation’

Ms Balfe said the crisis is “really a man-made situation that was entirely avoidable and has resulted in these levels of death and destitution”.

“Unfortunately, we have heard constantly of the Israeli government restricting certain goods that can go in,” she said.

“Certain items that mean an entire convoy can’t go through because they have a concern about one particular issue on the aid convoy.

“Really shockingly, since the International Court of Justice clearly said to the Israeli Government, you need to increase humanitarian aid, it has actually dropped.”

Palestinians wait for humanitarian aid on a beachfront in Gaza City, 25-02-2024. Image: Associated Press / Alamy

She said there was a 50% drop in aid making it through in February compared to January and Human Rights Watch has warned that there has been a 30% drop in aid since the ICJ ruling.

“Children are now dying in northern Gaza from malnutrition,” she said.

“People are so desperate they have resorted to eating grass and going foraging for wild weeds.

“They had been using animal feed but they are now even running out of that to use in flour.”

She said people have also been killing their animals for food and warned that in time of famine, “it is always children pregnant and breastfeeding women and the elderly who are most acutely affected”.

Child malnutrition

“Northern Gaza is actually one of the worst places in the world for child malnutrition at the moment,” said Ms Balfe.

“One in six children in north Gaza are acutely malnourished and 3% are experiencing severe wasting, which is really the most serious and dangerous type of malnutrition that a child can experience and it does mean, unfortunately, that those children will die unless there is really urgent intervention.”

She said the children will have “lifelong health implications” even if they get the support they need now.

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