Israeli Versity Heads to Netanyahu: ‘End Starvation’
CrossFireArabia- July 28, 2025
The heads of five major Israeli universities on Monday appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the starvation in Gaza, warning of catastrophic consequences for civilians, including infants.
In a letter reported by the daily Israel Hayom, the signatories – Weizmann Institute President Alon Chen, Hebrew University President Asher Cohen, Technion President Uri Sivan, Tel Aviv University President Ariel Porat, and Open University President Leo Corry – said they were “shocked” by the humanitarian toll in the Palestinian enclave.
“Like many Israelis, we are horrified by the scenes from Gaza, including infants dying every day from hunger and disease,” the letter reads according to Anadolu.
The university presidents pressed Netanyahu to address “the severe hunger overwhelming Gaza, which is taking a heavy toll on civilians uninvolved in the conflict, including children and infants.”
They voiced alarm over incendiary remarks by Israeli ministers and Knesset members calling for Gaza’s destruction.
“As a people who endured the horrors of the Holocaust, we also bear a responsibility to use every means at our disposal to prevent cruel and indiscriminate harm to innocent men, women and children,” they wrote.
The letter also criticized statements by Israeli officials suggesting the use of nuclear weapons, the complete denial of food, and the expulsion of Palestinians.
“We expect you and the government to unequivocally condemn these dangerous remarks,” they said, adding that such calls amount to “war crimes and crimes against humanity” under international law.
The university heads further warned against reported Israeli plans to build a so‑called “humanitarian city” in Rafah, likening it to World War II concentration camps. They said such a move would cause “irreparable damage” to Israel’s moral standing.
International observers have warned that the proposed camp would confine Palestinians and deprive them of food to force mass migration abroad.
Also on Monday, UN relief chief Tom Fletcher warned that one in every three Palestinians in Gaza had not eaten for days, urging the immediate delivery of aid.
The Gaza government media office said more than 40,000 infants aged under 1 face slow death due to Israel’s blockade preventing baby formula from entering for more than 150 days. It called for the unconditional opening of border crossings and held Israel and its allies fully responsible for the crisis.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 147 Palestinians, including 88 children, have died from starvation and malnutrition since October 2023.
On Sunday, the Israeli army announced limited humanitarian airdrops and what it described as a “tactical pause” in certain parts of Gaza to allow deliveries. Aid agencies, however, dismissed the move as “false relief,” saying Israel continues to weaponize hunger by blocking overland aid since early March.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
Spiralling Catastrophe: 1 in 3 Not Eaten in Days
- CrossFireArabia
- July 28, 2025
United Nations agencies welcomed, Sunday, Israel’s pledge to implement daily humanitarian pauses in its military operations in Gaza, aimed at easing the flow of desperately needed aid into and across the devastated enclave.
But as starvation tightens its grip and “children are dying before our eyes,” UN officials and aid workers warn that the measures fall far short of the much-needed ceasefire and unfettered aid access that could help stem the spiralling humanitarian catastrophe.
“Welcome announcement of humanitarian pauses in Gaza to allow our aid through,” UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said 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.”
In a statement later issued later by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, which Mr. Fletcher heads up, he added that some movement restrictions appear to have been eased today, with initial reports indicating that over 100 truckloads were collected.
“This is progress, but vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis. Across the UN agencies and humanitarian community, we are mobilized to save as many lives as we can, he said, but called for “sustained action, and fast”, including quicker clearances for convoys going to the crossing and dispatching into Gaza.
“Ultimately of course we don’t just need a pause – we need a permanent ceasefire,” stated Mr. Fletcher, who emphasized: “The world is calling for this lifesaving aid to get through. We won’t stop working for that.”
Also reacting via X, UNICEF said: “This is an opportunity to begin to reverse this catastrophe and save lives.”
According to the agency, since the collapse of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in March, children have been trapped in a nightmare and deprived of the basics to survive.
“The entire population of over two million people in Gaza is severely food insecure. One out of every three people has not eaten for days, and 80 per cent of all reported deaths by starvation are children,” the agency continued.
UNICEF emphasized that while it has never stopped delivering, “we can do a lot more if additional designated humanitarian corridors are created to facilitate the movement of our convoys – as well as commercial trucks, which are essential.”
‘A lifeline – if upheld and expanded’
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) also welcomed Israel’s announcement and its intent to open designated corridors for aid convoys in Gaza, “where hunger has reached catastrophic levels.”
With nearly half a million people facing famine-like conditions and a third of the population going days without food, WFP said in a press statement that the measures could offer a lifeline – if upheld and expanded.
Despite recent deliveries, including 350 truckloads last week, aid workers continue to face extreme risks and logistical hurdles. WFP said it has enough food stockpiled or en route to feed Gaza’s 2.1 million residents for three months, but without a ceasefire and consistent access, the scale of need far outpaces current efforts.
“An agreed ceasefire is the only way to reach everyone,” the agency stressed, calling for predictable and safe conditions to prevent further loss of life.
‘An entirely preventable crisis’
At the same time, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned that malnutrition in Gaza is spiralling out of control, with a sharp rise in deaths – most of them in July – marking what it calls a “dangerous trajectory.”
Of the 74 malnutrition-related deaths recorded this year, 63 occurred this month alone, including 24 children under five. Many died before reaching medical care, their bodies showing signs of severe wasting.
“This crisis is entirely preventable,” WHO said in a press release, citing the deliberate obstruction of aid for the mounting toll.
Children are bearing the brunt. Over 5,000 children have already been treated for malnutrition in July, many with the most life-threatening form. But Gaza’s four specialized treatment centers are overwhelmed, running low on fuel and supplies, and staffed by exhausted health workers.
“The health system is on the brink,” WHO warned, as disease spreads rapidly through communities with no clean water or sanitation.
The crisis is also devastating pregnant and breastfeeding women, over 40 per cent of whom are now severely malnourished. And it’s not just hunger that’s killing people—it’s the desperate search for food, according to WHO.
Since late May, more than 1,000 people have been killed and over 7,000 injured while trying to access aid. WHO is calling for an immediate ceasefire and a sustained surge of diverse, nutritious food and medical supplies.
“This flow must remain consistent and unhindered,” the agency said, urging protection for civilians, health workers, and humanitarian operations.
‘The world will judge this conference’
Looking ahead to the High-Level Conference on Palestine set to open on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a strong call for immediate action to end Israel’s unlawful occupation and the ongoing devastation in Gaza.
“Countries that fail to use their leverage may be complicit in international crimes,” Volker Türk warned in a statement, urging governments to seize the moment for concrete measures that pressure Israel to halt the carnage and recommit to a two-state solution.
The UN rights chief described Gaza as a “dystopian landscape of deadly attacks and total destruction,” where children are starving and families are being killed in their search for food. The militarized aid distribution system, supported by the US and Israel, is failing to meet the scale of need.
“We can never forget that more than 300 of our own colleagues have been killed,” he added.
Moreover, in the occupied West Bank, violence by Israeli forces and settlers continues unabated, with homes demolished and water supplies cut off.
Mr. Türk reiterated condemnation of the 7 October attacks by Hamas but emphasized that the scale of suffering inflicted on Palestinians since then cannot be justified.
Calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages and detainees, and a massive surge in humanitarian aid, he concluded:
“The people of the world will judge this Conference on what it delivers.”
Desperate: 24 Infants Die In 24 Hours of Birth
- CrossFireArabia
- July 28, 2025
UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, is sounding the alarm on a profound humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, where severe food deprivation, a shattered healthcare system, and immense psychological stress are leading to catastrophic birth outcomes for pregnant women and newborns, threatening the survival of an entire generation.
New data for the first six months of 2025, from the Ministry of Health, Gaza, paints a harrowing picture of the impacts of the dire conditions across the Strip on new life.
From January to June 2025:
- Births sharply declined: In the first half of 2025, 17,000 births were recorded, marking a significant decrease from the 29,000 births reported during the corresponding period in 2022. This represents a decline of over 41 percent in the birth rate within just three years.*
- Newborn deaths: At least 20 newborns died within 24 hours of birth.
- Newborns at risk: 33 percent of babies–5,560–were born prematurely, underweight or required admission to neonatal intensive care.
The statistics underscore the profound challenges faced by mothers and newborns in an environment where health care is being systematically targeted, with starvation and the deprivation of basic necessities driving these outcomes.
“The scale of suffering for new mothers and their babies in Gaza is beyond comprehension,” said Laila Baker, Regional Director for the Arab States at UNFPA. “Every mother and child deserves the right to a safe birth and a healthy start to life. What we are witnessing is a systematic denial of these fundamental rights, pushing an entire generation to the brink.”
Hospitals and health facilities that remain partially functional–the majority have been damaged or destroyed–are increasingly losing the capacity to keep mothers and babies alive. Seventy percent of essential medicines are out of stock, and half of all medical equipment is damaged, severely reducing access to critical newborn care by 70 percent.
The breakdown of referral systems, with ambulance services reduced to a bare minimum, and severe lack of transport mean pregnant women are unable to access antenatal care or reach hospitals for delivery, turning treatable complications into preventable deaths.
Despite the desperate needs, humanitarian aid remains severely obstructed. UNFPA alone has 170 trucks loaded with desperately needed supplies, including containerized maternity units, maternal health medicines, ultrasounds, and portable incubators, which have been stranded at borders since early March 2025.
UNFPA calls on Israel to allow unimpeded, sustained and demilitarized humanitarian aid into Gaza without delay, including fuel, medical supplies, and nutritional support. Every moment lost means more preventable loss of life and unimaginable suffering for the most vulnerable.
Corrections: The press release originally said two years which has now been revised to three years.
The press release originally stated that there had been 220 maternal deaths in Gaza in the first six months of 2025. The figure 220 refers to the total number of stillbirths in the first six months of 2025, not the number of mothers who died.
