The Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations has described the suffering of Palestinian children as "unbearable" as he broke down in tears during an emotional address to the Security Council.
Riyad Mansour said that more than 1,300 Palestinian children have been killed and about 4,000 injured since Israel resumed military operations in Gaza following the collapse of a ceasefire in March.
"These are children. Children ... children!" he said.
"Dozens of children are dying of starvation. The images of mothers embracing their motionless bodies, caressing their hair, talking to them, apologising to them, is unbearable."
Mr Mansour slammed his fist on the table and broke down crying, pausing his speech.
Earlier the United Nations envoy for the Middle East said Palestinians living in Gaza "deserve more than survival", as Israel's war there entered its 600th day.
Israel stepped up its military offensive in Gaza, ignited by an attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on 7 October 2023, earlier this month, while mediators push for a ceasefire that remains elusive.
The issue of aid has come sharply into focus amid a hunger crisis after Israel imposed a full blockade on Gaza for over two months, before allowing supplies in at a trickle last week.
"Since the resumption of hostilities in Gaza, the already horrific existence of civilians has only sunk further into the abyss. This is manmade," Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told the Council.
"Death is their companion," she continued. "It's not life, it's not hope. The people of Gaza deserve more than survival. They deserve a future."
The aid that is now coming in "is comparable to a lifeboat after the ship has sunk," she said.
Ms Kaag warned that there could be no "sustainable peace" in the Middle East without a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, adding that the West Bank also is on a "dangerous trajectory."
She called for collective action to revive a two-state solution, saying that a high-level international conference in June presents a "critical opportunity."
"It must launch a concrete path towards ending the occupation and realising the two-state solution," she said.
When speaking of people in Gaza, "the words empathy, solidarity and support have lost their meaning," Ms Kaag said.
"We should not become accustomed to the number of people killed or injured. These are daughters, mothers, and young children whose lives have been shattered. All have a name, all had a future, all had dreams and aspirations."
However, Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon blamed Hamas for the situation in Gaza.
"There is suffering in Gaza, but the blame is on the shoulders of Hamas ... so they will continue to be suffering until Hamas will understand that they will not stay in Gaza," he told reporters.
'Clock is ticking towards famine'
Thousands of Palestinians looted a UN warehouse in Gaza's Deir el-Balah, AFP footage showed, and the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) said two people may have died when its warehouse there was broken into.
AFP film showed crowds of Palestinians breaking into a WFP warehouse and taking bags and cartons of food supplies as gunshots rang out.
"Hordes of hungry people broke into WFP's Al-Ghafari warehouse in Deir Al-Balah, Central Gaza, in search of food supplies that were pre-positioned for distribution," WFP said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
"Initial reports indicate two people died and several were injured in the tragic incident," it said, adding: "WFP is still confirming details."
"Humanitarian needs have spiralled out of control after 80 days of complete blockade of all food assistance and other aid into Gaza," the WFP statement said.
The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees has said the "clock is ticking towards famine" in Gaza as he warned that the new US-backed aid distribution model in Gaza is a waste of resources and a distraction from "atrocities".
"I believe it is a waste of resources and a distraction from atrocities. We already have an aid distribution system that is fit for purpose," Philippe Lazzarini said in Japan.
"The humanitarian community in Gaza, including UNRWA, is ready. We have the experience and expertise to reach people in need," he said.
"Meanwhile, the clock is ticking towards famine, so humanitarian [work] must be allowed to do its life-saving work now," he added.
The new US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began operations at an aid distribution centre in southern Gaza yesterday.
Chaotic scenes ensued as thousands of Palestinians rushed into the centre in Rafah and 47 people were injured trying to receive food at GHF distribution sites, the United Nations human rights office said.
"Forty-seven people were injured due to gun shots," Ajith Sunghay, Head of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory told reporters in Geneva, citing information from partners on the ground.
The gunfire was from the Israel Defence Force, he said.
The UN Human rights office did not give a specific location of where people were injured.
The Israeli military said soldiers fired warning shots into the air and did not fire at civilians.
"We are checking information from the UN. At the time we are speaking, we have no information on this matter," an Israeli military spokesman said, referring to the wounded civilians.
The incident came days after the partial easing of a total aid blockade on the territory that Israel imposed on 2 March, leading to severe shortages of food and medicine.
"We have seen yesterday the shocking images of hungry people pushing against fences, desperate for food. It was chaotic, undignified and unsafe," Mr Lazzarini said in Tokyo.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later acknowledged a "loss of control momentarily" at the centre, but a senior military official said the distribution was nonetheless "a success".
The US announced in early May the new model, sidelining the United Nations.
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Israel has facilitated GHF's efforts to distribute aid in Gaza, saying it aims to keep supplies out of Hamas's hands.
But GHF has faced accusations of helping Israel fulfil its military objectives while excluding Palestinians, bypassing the UN system, and failing to adhere to humanitarian principles.
"The model of aid distribution proposed by Israel does not align with core humanitarian principle. It will deprive a large part of Gaza, the highly vulnerable people, of desperately needed assistance," Mr Lazzarini said.
Sixteen killed in Israeli strikes - Gaza rescuers
Meanwhile, 16 people were killed in Israeli attacks across the besieged Palestinian territory, Gaza rescuers said.
Among them, nine belonged to the family of photojournalist Osama al-Arbeed and were killed in a strike on their home in Gaza's north, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said.
He added that Mr Arbeed was injured, noting that he is a videographer and editor at a local film production organisation.
Another six members of the same family were killed in central Gaza in a strike that left 15 people wounded, "including children".
One other person was killed near the southern city of Khan Younis.
Health authorities in Gaza have said that at least 3,822 people had been killed in the territory since Israel ended a ceasefire on 18 March, taking the overall death toll from Israeli attacks to 53,977 since October 2023.
Some 1,218 people were killed in a Hamas attack on Israeli communities on 7 October 2023, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 who the Israeli military says are dead.
