The humanitarian director for Save the Children in Gaza, Rachael Cumming, described the situation as “devastating,” emphasizing that children are “literally starving.”
In an interview with Jonathan Carl on ABC’s “This Week,” she explained, “The situation for children is dire and even worse for adults. There’s no food available in the markets.” Her team has noticed a significant rise in the number of children seeking help at their clinic, and this trend is likely to continue.
“There are very anxious pregnant and breastfeeding women who are also suffering from malnutrition,” she noted.
Cumming spoke about the Deial Al Bala clinic, located in central Gaza, which she described as “absolutely packed”—a sight she had never encountered before.
With over two decades of experience in humanitarian work across Africa and other regions, she remarked, “Every child in the health center today was malnourished, and all the adults appeared very thin and exhausted. The conditions here are utterly dreadful.”
She expressed her concerns further, stating, “How could it possibly get any worse for a child? It seems it can.” Cumming highlighted how mothers are now struggling to feed their families, saying, “They used to manage three meals a day, then two, and now just one.”
“Now they often don’t eat at all in a day,” she commented, calling this situation very alarming and extraordinarily serious.
She acknowledged the recent aid drop in Gaza, which the Israeli Defense Force reported included “flour, sugar, and canned food.” However, she stressed the need for a more controlled approach to humanitarian aid delivery.
Airdrops, she pointed out, are not adequately managed, likening them to haphazard deliveries. “We really need to transport humanitarian supplies through established land routes. The UN should be enabled to oversee this distribution,” she insisted.
She welcomed the UN’s current ability to bring in crucial supplies, such as food, medical items, and sanitary products.
Cumming’s remarks come in the context of ongoing conflicts in Gaza, where there is profound concern over hunger, especially during Israel’s “tactical pause.” Leaders like House Speaker Mike Johnson have stated that Hamas would be held accountable for any food theft, although reports from the Israeli military indicate no evidence of systematic aid theft by Palestinian extremist groups.
