UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday said that 1 in 6 children under the age of 2 in the northern Gaza Strip is suffering from severe malnutrition. He called for an immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons, saying it is “the only way to scale up the delivery of assistance to those who need it most.”
“According to a new analysis released by the World Food Programme, the sharp rise in malnutrition among children, pregnant and breastfeeding women in the Gaza Strip poses serious threats to their health,” Guterres said in a tweet.
He stressed that the scarcity of food and safe drinking water, and the spread of diseases, are putting the health and immunity of women and children at risk, and are also leading to an increase in malnutrition.
In a pointed critique today, former Mossad chief Ephraim Halevy lambasted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy for the aftermath of the conflict in Gaza, suggesting that “Israel is negotiating with itself.”
Taking to the social platform X, Halevy highlighted a glaring inconsistency in Netanyahu’s document regarding who should be engaged in discussions about Gaza’s future post-Hamas conflict.
He noted that while the document presented by Netanyahu suggests there is no Palestinian representation or involvement, it simultaneously implies that a resolution should be achieved through negotiations between two parties.
According to the document, Netanyahu’s proposals include a clause on the Palestinian state, wherein Israel firmly rejects any international dictates on a permanent settlement with the Palestinian people.
