DUBAI: Twenty-one children have died from starvation across the Gaza Strip over a 72-hour period, the head of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said Tuesday.

“These deaths were recorded at hospitals in Gaza, including Al-Shifa in Gaza City, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, and Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis,” Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya told reporters. He attributed the deaths to severe malnutrition and hunger-related complications amid ongoing shortages of food and medical supplies.

The figures add to growing concerns over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where aid access remains severely limited.

According to the United Nations, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces while attempting to access food since the start of operations by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is backed by the United States and Israel. Of those, 766 were killed near GHF distribution sites, and 288 were killed near UN and other aid convoys, UN human rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan said Tuesday. He stated that the deaths were caused by Israeli military fire.

In a separate statement Tuesday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that Israeli evacuation orders and subsequent military operations in Deir al-Balah could result in further civilian deaths.

“It seemed the nightmare couldn’t possibly get worse. And yet it does... Given the concentration of civilians in the area, and the means and methods of warfare employed by Israel until now, the risks of unlawful killings and other serious violations of international humanitarian law are extremely high,” he said.

Also on Tuesday, at least 20 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes, according to Palestinian health officials. The strikes occurred in areas that had previously seen relatively little direct fighting during the 21-month conflict.

The European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, issued a statement on social media condemning the killing of civilians at aid distribution points. “The killing of civilians seeking aid in Gaza is indefensible,” she said. Kallas added that she had spoken with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to reinforce expectations regarding humanitarian access and warned that “all options are on the table” should current pledges not be met.