UN warns that 14,000 babies will die in Gaza in the next 48 hours if humanitarian aid does not arrive: this is known

Some 14,000 babies will die in the Gaza Strip in the next 48 hours if aid supplies do not enter the Palestinian enclave, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher warned Tuesday.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4 's "Today" program, the official said the UN reached that assessment because it has "strong teams on the ground," adding that it is necessary to "flood the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid."

On Tuesday, the Israeli military body in charge of civil affairs in Gaza, COGAT, said at least 93 trucks carrying humanitarian aid had entered Gaza, while the UN noted that the supplies had not yet been delivered to the needy population.

According to COGAT, the trucks include flour for bakeries, baby food, and medical equipment, among other items.

"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will continue to facilitate humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip while making every effort to ensure that aid does not reach Hamas," the agency said in a statement.

UN Secretary-General's spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, gave a different interpretation on Tuesday from New York: "To be clear, while more supplies are arriving in the Gaza Strip, we have not been able to guarantee the arrival of these supplies to warehouses or delivery points ," he said at his daily press briefing.

The difficulties imposed by Israel meant that only four trucks managed to pass through the strip on Monday, but not even their cargo has reached its final destination, the spokesperson explained.

"If Israel does not end the new military offensive or lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take other concrete measures in response," French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a joint statement on Monday.

Although they did not specify what sanctions might be imposed, the three leaders promised that they would not "stand idly by while the (Israeli government of Benjamin) Netanyahu continues these outrageous actions."

On Tuesday, the British government announced the suspension of negotiations on a free trade agreement with Israel, imposed new sanctions on its settlers in the occupied West Bank, and recalled its ambassador to London due to the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

The European Union (EU) also announced that it will review its association agreement with Israel in light of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the bloc's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, announced Tuesday.

"It's clear from today's debate that there is a strong majority in favor of reviewing Article 2 of our association agreement with Israel, so we will launch this exercise, and in the meantime, it's up to Israel to unblock humanitarian aid " to Gaza, Kallas said at a press conference after the meeting.

As many as 17 of the 27 member states supported this initiative, while those that rejected it included Germany and Italy, according to diplomatic sources.

Israel stepped up its offensive over the weekend, aiming to defeat the Palestinian movement Hamas, whose attack on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, sparked the conflict.

That day, 1,218 people died in Israel, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on official data. The Islamists also kidnapped 251 people that day. Of these, 57 remain captive in Gaza, although 34 were declared dead by the Israeli army.

Israel's military retaliation campaign has claimed the lives of at least 53,573 people , most of them civilians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which the UN considers reliable.

Last night, at least 53 people, including women and children , were killed in Palestinian territory in renewed Israeli army attacks against the north and center of the Palestinian Strip.

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With information from the EFE Agency.