Non-profit director in Gaza: ‘Children are literally starving'
'The situation in Gaza is catastrophic for children and increasingly now for adults. There is no food available in the market. Children are literally starving,' she told Jonathan Karl during an interview on ABC's 'This Week.' She noted that her team is 'seeing an exponential line in the number of children attending our clinic,' adding that the number is expected to increase.
'The number of children who are malnourished, very concerningly, pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding are also malnourished,' she continued.
Cumming said the clinic in Deir Al-Balah, located in the center of Gaza, 'was absolutely packed, and it was a scene I had never witnessed before.'
'I've been working in this sector for over 20 years in the whole of Africa, in various places around the world,' she said. 'And every child in the health center today was malnourished, but also every adult was extremely thin, gaunt-looking, exhausted. The situation is absolutely terrible here.'
'For months I've said, how can it get worse for children? It cannot get any worse for children, but apparently, yes, it can get worse for children,' she later added.
Cumming noted that mothers went from 'eating less than three meals a day to two meals a day, to one meal a day.'
'Now, they're not having a meal a day,' she said. 'And this is very, very concerning. And this is at scale.'
While she praised the recent aid airdrops in Gaza, which the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said included 'flour, sugar, and canned food,' she noted that the air drops need to be done 'in a controlled manner.'
'Airdrops are not in a controlled manner and one airdrop is equal to around one truck,' she said.
'So we need to bring in humanitarian supplies, supplies over land through the recognized routes. We need the U.N. system to be enabled to manage the distributions.'
'We welcome the fact that now the U.N. is allowed to bring in humanitarian supplies, including food, including medicines, including nutrition commodities, and including hygiene supplies,' she added.
Her comments come amid Israel's 'tactical pause' in fighting in Gaza amid mass starvation concerns. While leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, say that Hamas is to blame because they stole food, reports from the Israeli military indicate that there is no proof that the Palestinian militant group had systematically stolen aid.
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2 hours ago
Situation in Gaza is 'catastrophic,' Save the Children's humanitarian director says
As the Israel -Hamas war drags on with little progress on ceasefire efforts, more than 100 organizations are warning of 'mass starvation' in Gaza. Save the Children Gaza Humanitarian Director Rachael Cummings said Sunday that 'the situation in Gaza is catastrophic for children and increasingly now for adults.' Cummings, who has been based in Gaza since early 2024, said conditions at Save the Children's clinics in Gaza are reaching new levels of crisis, and she expects the numbers of malnourished to rise. 'In the first two weeks of July, we've seen exactly the same number of children we saw in the whole of June, and we're expecting that trajectory, sadly, to increase," she said. "The number of children who are malnourished -- very concerningly, pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding are also malnourished." "But this morning, I went to our clinic in Deir Al-Balah, about 10 minutes from where I am right now. It was absolutely packed, and it was a scene I had never witnessed before, and I've been working in this sector for over 20 years in the whole of Africa, in various places around the world. And every child in the health center today was malnourished, but also every adult was extremely thin, gaunt-looking, exhausted. The situation is absolutely terrible here,' Cummings said. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 30,000 children under 5 are now malnourished. The crisis, however, isn't just in the streets, where people are trying to collect food and water from distribution vans, but also in Gaza's hospitals and health care centers, Cummings said. Famine has caused many to seek help, given the mounting health complications endured by those in the city. "And for months I've said, how can it get worse for children? It cannot get any worse for children, but apparently, yes, it can get worse for children. And now, we are seeing all of the coping mechanisms that families have deployed within -- with mothers eating less than three meals a day to two meals a day, to one meal a day. Now, they're not having a meal a day. And this is very, very concerning. And this is at scale,' Cummings said. Israel began new airdrops of humanitarian aid this weekend, though Cummings said she had concerns whether that will be effective enough to get people things like food, medicine and hygiene supplies. "We welcome the humanitarian supplies entering Gaza, of course. And we need to do that in a controlled manner. Airdrops are not in a controlled manner, and one airdrop is equal to around one truck,' Cummings said. "So we need to bring in humanitarian supplies, supplies over land through the recognized routes. We need the U.N. system be enabled to manage the distributions." Israel announced on Friday plans to begin new airdrops of humanitarian aid, though Cummings had concerns whether that will be effective enough to get people things like food, medicine and hygiene supplies. 'Airdrops are not in a controlled manner, and one airdrop is equal to around one truck,' Cummings said. On Sunday, Israel announced a "tactical" military pause in three areas in Gaza. Israel said that it would allow the United Nations and other aid organizations into 'secure' regions to deliver food and medicine. 'We know as Save the Children, as humanitarian agencies, how to do safe and dignified distributions. So yes, we welcome the fact that now the U.N. is allowed to bring in humanitarian supplies, including food, including medicines, including nutrition commodities, and including hygiene supplies,' Cummings said.
The Hill
3 hours ago
- The Hill
Non-profit director in Gaza: ‘Children are literally starving'
Gaza humanitarian director for Save the Children Rachael Cumming said that the situation for people in Gaza is 'catastrophic,' emphasizing that children 'are literally starving.' 'The situation in Gaza is catastrophic for children and increasingly now for adults. There is no food available in the market. Children are literally starving,' she told Jonathan Karl during an interview on ABC's 'This Week.' She noted that her team is 'seeing an exponential line in the number of children attending our clinic,' adding that the number is expected to increase. 'The number of children who are malnourished, very concerningly, pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding are also malnourished,' she continued. Cumming said the clinic in Deir Al-Balah, located in the center of Gaza, 'was absolutely packed, and it was a scene I had never witnessed before.' 'I've been working in this sector for over 20 years in the whole of Africa, in various places around the world,' she said. 'And every child in the health center today was malnourished, but also every adult was extremely thin, gaunt-looking, exhausted. The situation is absolutely terrible here.' 'For months I've said, how can it get worse for children? It cannot get any worse for children, but apparently, yes, it can get worse for children,' she later added. Cumming noted that mothers went from 'eating less than three meals a day to two meals a day, to one meal a day.' 'Now, they're not having a meal a day,' she said. 'And this is very, very concerning. And this is at scale.' While she praised the recent aid airdrops in Gaza, which the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said included 'flour, sugar, and canned food,' she noted that the air drops need to be done 'in a controlled manner.' 'Airdrops are not in a controlled manner and one airdrop is equal to around one truck,' she said. 'So we need to bring in humanitarian supplies, supplies over land through the recognized routes. We need the U.N. system to be enabled to manage the distributions.' 'We welcome the fact that now the U.N. is allowed to bring in humanitarian supplies, including food, including medicines, including nutrition commodities, and including hygiene supplies,' she added. Her comments come amid Israel's 'tactical pause' in fighting in Gaza amid mass starvation concerns. While leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, say that Hamas is to blame because they stole food, reports from the Israeli military indicate that there is no proof that the Palestinian militant group had systematically stolen aid.
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Israel pauses some military action in Gaza as starvation spreads: what to know
Israel will pause military action for hours each day in parts of Gaza and increase aid drops in the enclave, as the country has faced major international criticism over reports and images of starving Palestinians. Aid groups have criticized Israeli leaders for months over the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The country cut off supplies to the region at the start of March before reopening aid lines – with new restrictions – in May. "A third of the population (in Gaza) is not eating for days," the World Food Programme, led by Cindy McCain, said in a statement on X. "Some 470,000 people are enduring famine-like conditions. 90,000 women and children need urgent nutrition treatment. People are dying due to a lack of humanitarian assistance." More than 125 people have died due to malnutrition, including 85 children, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said over the weekend. A five-month-old baby, Zainab Abu Haleeb, died of malnutrition at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza on July 26. In recent weeks, more than 800 people have been killed while trying to reach food, according to the United Nations, mostly in shootings by Israeli soldiers posted near controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution centers. Israeli officials have said they've allowed enough food into Gaza since war broke out in October 2023 after Hamas attacked Israel, blaming the terrorist group for suffering in a region of 2.2 million people. Meanwhile, ceasefire talks have stalled, with no permanent end to the fighting in sight. Here's what to know about the growing humanitarian crisis. What's going on in Gaza? Beginning July 27, Israel will pause military action in a humanitarian area along the coast of Gaza for 10 hours at a time, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time, each day. The military said designated secure routes for convoys delivering food and medicine will also be in place between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. Tom Fletcher, aid chief for the United Nations, called the move a "welcome announcement" in a post on X. "In contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," Fletcher wrote. What do human rights groups say? The U.N.'s World Food Program also welcomed the news, saying in a statement, "we hope these measures will allow for a surge in urgently needed food assistance to reach hungry people without further delays." Israel's move comes after 111 groups signed a joint statement calling for governments to take action, as mass starvation spread and restrictions on humanitarian aid prevented resources from reaching Palestinians in Gaza. "The Government of Israel's restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death," the groups, made up of mostly aid and human rights organizations, wrote. Why was aid restricted before? Hunger in Gaza escalated after Israel cut off supplies in March. Israel had said it was committed to allowing in aid – but needed to control it to prevent it from being diverted by Hamas. The country also accused the U.N. of failing to act in a timely fashion, saying 700 truckloads of aid were idling inside Gaza. "Responsibility for food distribution to the population in Gaza lies with the UN and international aid organizations," the Israeli military said in a July 26 statement. "Therefore, the UN and international organizations are expected to improve the effectiveness of aid distribution and to ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas." An internal U.S. government analysis found no evidence of systematic theft by Hamas of U.S.-funded humanitarian supplies, Reuters reported last week. Where are ceasefire talks? President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on July 25 to abandon ceasefire negotiations, saying it was clear Hamas did not want a deal. "I think they want to die," Trump said of the militants. "And it's very bad. And it got to be to a point where you're going to have to finish the job." Humanitarian groups have urged Israel to reach a deal, saying the only real solution to the suffering in Gaza is a complete end to the fighting. "An agreed ceasefire is the only way for humanitarian assistance to reach the entire civilian population in Gaza with critical food supplies in a consistent, predictable, orderly and safe manner," the U.N. World Food Program said in their statement. Contributing: Reuters
