Israel blocks all UN attempts to deliver aid to northern Gaza: UNRWA

15,000 pregnant women in Gaza face famine risk; Health ministry in Gaza says conflict death toll at 44,330

Gaza: Israel has blocked all attempts to deliver humanitarian aid to the northern Gaza Strip, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has said, Anadolu reports.

In a statement, UNRWA said it attempted 91 times to deliver life-saving humanitarian aid to Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and Beit Sahour in northern Gaza from October 6 to November 25.

“82 of these attempts were outrightly denied, while 9 of them were impeded,” it added.

“The conditions for survival are diminishing for the 65,000-75,000 people estimated to remain there,” the UN agency said.

“For over 50 days, they have been facing diminishing conditions for survival.”

There are 50,000 pregnant women in the Gaza Strip, with 4,000 Palestinian babies expected to be delivered this month, Al Jazeera reports according to UN data.

“Approximately 15,000 of them are likely to be on the verge of famine,” the UN Population Fund said.

This is while about 1.9 million people, or 90 per cent of the besieged territory remain forcibly displaced with little to no access to basic necessities, including food and clean water.

Some 415,000 people are staying in UN schools-turned-shelters, dozens of which have been hit by the Israeli military.

Meanwhile, the health ministry in Gaza has said that at least 44,330 people have been killed in more than 13 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas, AFP reports.

The toll includes 48 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 104,933 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the fighting broke out on October 7, 2023. NEWS DESK