European powers debate Gaza while aid groups warn of starving children

WHO WAR‑RAVAGED GAZA SITS ON THE EDGE OF MASS MALNOURISHMENT

The United Nations and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) have sounded an alarm about the rapid rise of malnutrition in Gaza, a war‑riven region where civilians are already caught in a severe humanitarian crisis.

KEY STATISTICS

• 25 % of children and pregnant women screened by MSF last week were malnourished.
• UNRWA & UN officials reported that one in five children in Gaza City are suffering from malnutrition.
• Malnutrition cases at MSF’s Gaza City clinic have quadrupled since mid‑May.

EUROPEAN RESPONSE

The bloc of United Kingdom, France and Germany is preparing an “emergency call” to seek a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and to discuss steps toward Palestinian statehood.

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared: “I will hold an emergency call tomorrow, where we will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace.”

ASPIRATION OF A NEW CEASEFIRE

• Israel and the United States quit indirect negotiations with Hamas in Qatar on Thursday, scuttling hopes of a new truce.
• U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff has accused Hamas of failing to act in good faith.
• President Emmanuel Macron announced France will formally recognise a Palestinian state in September, drawing Israel’s furious rebuke.

SANDBOX OF “MASS STARVATION”

More than 100 aid and human‑rights groups warned that a “mass starvation” crisis is spreading. The World Health Organization has labeled the worsening conditions as “man‑made.”

Israel imposed an aid blockade in March and only partially eased restrictions two months later. The
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, backed by Israel and the U.S., replaced the UN‑led distribution system, creating four sites where Gazans must travel long distances and wait in massive queues.

• UN reports over 750 aid‑seekers killed near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites since late May.
• MSF’s statement: “The treatment of wounded patients at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis is dire—we see blood‑stained crisis patients on the hospital floor.”

MSF added that the situation has intensified, noting that malnutrition among children aged six months to five years and pregnant or breastfeeding women is escalating—an alarming scenario that marks a high risk of dying for untreated malnourished patients.

UNRWA’S CHALLENGES

• Chief Philippe Lazzarini warned that most children seen by UNRWA are emaciated, weak, and at high risk if they do not receive urgent treatment.
• The agency boasts 6,000 loaded trucks of food and medical supplies ready for Gaza if Israel permits unrestricted and uninterrupted access.

LOSSES AND HOSTAGES

Israel’s military campaign has killed 59,587 Palestinians, primarily civilians, according to the Hamas‑run Health Ministry. The October 2023 Hamas attack that sparked the war claimed 1,219 lives, mostly civilians.

Of the 251 hostages taken in that attack, 49 remain in Gaza, including 27 reported dead by the Israeli military.