GAZA — The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on Sunday accused Israeli authorities of using starvation as a weapon of war against civilians in Gaza.

In a statement on X, the agency said: “The Israeli authorities are starving civilians in Gaza. Among them are 1 million children.”

UNRWA reiterated its urgent call for an end to the ongoing Israeli siege, stating: “Lift the siege: allow UNRWA to bring in food and medicines.”

Despite international legal obligations to ensure the protection of civilians and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, Israel has maintained a total siege on Gaza since March 2. Convoys have been bombed, border crossings blocked, and aid distribution points targeted—actions widely condemned by rights groups as collective punishment and possible war crimes.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, dozens of children have died from starvation and dehydration, while hundreds of thousands more are at risk due to the collapse of healthcare and widespread food insecurity.

On Saturday alone, Israeli strikes reportedly killed at least 136 Palestinians, including 38 individuals who were waiting for aid and three children who died from severe malnutrition, Palestinian officials said.

Israel’s offensive on Gaza, ongoing since October 2023, has killed nearly 59,000 Palestinians—most of them women and children—according to local health authorities. The bombing has devastated the enclave, crippled medical services, and created conditions described by aid agencies as famine-like. — Agencies