Babies due to be born in the next month are at risk of dying in Gaza, UNICEF says
From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq
The babies of thousands of women "who are due to give birth in the next month in the Gaza Strip are at risk of dying," according to the United Nations children's fund (UNICEF) State of Palestine Humanitarian Situation report on Tuesday.
At least 5,500 pregnant women "do not have access to prenatal or postnatal check-ups because of bombings and need to flee for safety," the report said
"Anxiety is also leading to premature births," the report added, citing the UN Population Fund (UNPF).
The report also said more than 90% of children "aged 6-23 months and pregnant, breastfeeding women face severe food poverty with access to two or fewer food groups per day."
7:43 p.m. ET, March 5, 2024
Israeli protesters urge Biden to help with release of hostages
From Lauren Izso and CNN's Hande Atay Alam
Protesters call on President Joe Biden to secure a hostage deal ahead of Ramadan, outside the US Embassy in Tel Aviv on March 5. Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
A large group of protesters gathered outside the US Embassy in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, calling for US President Joe Biden's help with securing a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would see Israeli hostages freed.
Protesters were seen waving American flags and holding signs saying: "Hostage Deal Now" and "All of Them Home Now."
Another group of protesters gathered outside the US consulate in Jerusalem, holding signs that read: "In Biden We Trust" and "Leaving No One Behind."
The protest organizers put out a statement Tuesday, saying:
"The hostage families and supporters will express their gratitude for the support of President Joe Biden and call on him to help secure the hostage release deal that's currently on the table and take advantage of a small window of opportunity before Ramadan to bring them home."
Biden has urged for a ceasefire as negotiations continue over an agreement that would pair a pause in fighting with the release of hostages. "It's in the hands of Hamas right now," Biden told reporters on Tuesday.
7:41 p.m. ET, March 5, 2024
Sanitation conditions challenging with only 1 toilet per 340 displaced people in Gaza, UNICEF says
From CNN's Richard Roth and Mohammed Tawfeeq
A view of a toilet in a tent near the Egyptian border in Rafah, Gaza on January 22. Abed Zagout/Anadolu/Getty Images/File
Large numbers of displaced people across Gaza are causing "extremely challenging hygiene and sanitation conditions," the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) reported Tuesday.
"On average, 340 individuals share one toilet, and 1,290 persons share one shower, as assessed by the WASH Cluster," the report said.
"The humanitarian community in Gaza continues to provide food and health care across the Gaza Strip, despite the ongoing fighting and other major challenges," said Jamie McGoldrick, the humanitarian coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, during his two-day visit to Gaza.
He added that despite efforts to provide aid, the ongoing airstrikes and fighting in Gaza "continue to impede safe and efficient humanitarian operations. We reiterate the need for security assurances and unimpeded passage to distribute aid, at scale, across Gaza."
7:40 p.m. ET, March 5, 2024
US is looking at options for a maritime corridor to get aid to Gaza, Pentagon says
From CNN's Haley Britzky
The United States and its international partners are considering a maritime corridor to get aid into Gaza, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Tuesday.
“In coordination with the US interagency and international partners, we are actively reviewing options for a maritime corridor for humanitarian assistance into Gaza, including potential commercial and contracted options,” Ryder said. “I don't have more to announce at this time regarding what that would be.”
Ryder added that the US military would be “only in a supporting role” and the US Agency for International Development is leading coordination efforts for the US government.
The White House said last week there are discussions with Israel and other stakeholders about a potential maritime corridor for humanitarian aid into Gaza.
7:52 p.m. ET, March 5, 2024
Israel "intentionally starving the Palestinian people," UN experts say
From CNN Richard Roth and Hande Atay Alam
Palestinian children wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen amid shortages of food supplies in Rafah, Gaza, on March 5. Mohammed Salem/Reuters
United Nations experts accused Israel in a statement on Tuesday of "intentionally starving the Palestinian people" in Gaza.
“Israel has been intentionally starving the Palestinian people in Gaza since 8 October. Now it is targeting civilians seeking humanitarian aid and humanitarian convoys,” several UN experts said in a statement.
“Israel must end its campaign of starvation and targeting of civilians."
Israel has consistently denied targeting civilians, saying its war is against Hamas. Israeli authorities regularly say "there is no limit to the amount of humanitarian aid for the civilians in Gaza."
But a Palestinian Ministry of Health spokesperson said Sunday the number of children who have died of dehydration and malnutrition in northern Gaza has risen to 15.
CNN cannot independently confirm the deaths of the children or their causes due to the lack of international media access to Gaza, but there have been increasingly urgent warnings about hunger in the strip from international agencies who get in.
UN experts also condemned the "violence unleashed by Israeli forces" after more than 100 Palestinians were killed trying to access food aid in Gaza City on Thursday.
7:38 p.m. ET, March 5, 2024
Aid agencies warn of "extreme" child malnutrition, particularly in northern Gaza
From CNN’s Mostafa Salem and Niamh Kennedy
A Palestinian child suffering from malnutrition receives treatment at a healthcare center in Rafah, Gaza, on March 4. Mohammed Salem/Reuters
Child malnutrition levels in northern Gaza are "particularly extreme" and roughly three times higher than in the south of the Palestinian enclave, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative for the territory said on Tuesday.
Screenings carried out in health centers in northern Gaza in January found one in six children under the age of 2 were acutely malnourished, Richard Peeperkorn said at a briefing. The figure is “likely to be greater today,” he said.
Peeperkorn said child malnutrition was “never an issue” in Gaza before the war, and that limits to aid deliveries have resulted in roughly 90% of children under the age of 2 experiencing severe food poverty.
Speaking at the same event, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said the disparity in child malnutrition rates in the north and south of Gaza fundamentally shows that “when that trickle of aid can come in, it does make a lifesaving difference.”
At least 15 children have died from starvation in Gaza, a Palestinian health ministry spokesperson said on Sunday. That number could be higher, as the limited access to northern Gaza has hindered the ability of aid agencies to discover the full extent of the situation there. Peeperkorn said every proposed WHO mission to northern Gaza in February was denied.
WHO managed to reach some hospitals in northern Gaza in early March, Peeperkorn said. He described the scenes at one facility, the Al-Awda Hospital, as “particularly appalling.”
7:50 p.m. ET, March 5, 2024
UN aid agency unsure if it will be able to pay its staff to deliver food in Gaza after funding frozen
From CNN's Hande Atay Alam
A Palestinian man transports sacks of humanitarian aid at the UNRWA distribution center, in Rafah, Gaza on March 3. AFP/Getty Images
Officials with the main United Nations relief agency in Gaza say they are unsure whether its staff will be able to deliver food to starving Palestinians after its funds were frozen.
Countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia in January paused funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) after Israel accused its staff members of taking part in the October 7 attack by Hamas militants.
Speaking on Tuesday from Rafah in Egypt, UNRWA senior deputy director Scott Anderson said UN staff remained dedicated and were still feeding 1.1 million people and vaccinating 80% of the children in Gaza.
"Despite the fact that we have lost 162 of our colleagues in this conflict, our staff are very resilient," Anderson said.
The situation is deteriorating across Gaza and people required food, water, medicine, tents, blankets and hope, "especially as we approach the holy month of Ramadan, which is very significant for everyone in Gaza,” he said. Ramadan starts in less than a week.
More background: Speaking Monday during the UN General Assembly meeting, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said 16 countries had paused their funding for the agency, totaling $450 million, despite "the unsubstantiated nature of the allegations."
“UNRWA has no capacity to absorb financial shocks, especially while a war rages in Gaza,” he said, noting that with funding from member states and donors, UNRWA operations can continue and “remain a lifeline” for Palestinian refugees across the region. However, he cautioned that without additional funding, UNRWA will be in “unchartered territory, with serious implications for global peace and security.”
