Cindy McCain warns 'children are dying as we speak' in Gaza, says aid workers need greater access

Cindy McCain, the director of the World Food Programme, warned in a new interview that “children are dying as we speak” in Gaza and called for greater access for aid workers while the Israel-Hamas war rages on in the Middle East.

CNN’s Jake Tapper asked McCain whether Israel approving the opening of an area known as the Erez crossing would help get food and other critical resources to Palestinians in Gaza.

McCain called the move “very important,” but she still warned that humanitarian workers need more means.

“We’re literally on the brink of going over the edge, over the cliff, with famine and not being able to recover from it,” she said.

McCain didn’t specify when aid could start to enter Gaza through the crossing, but she emphasized the that World Food Programme has amassed food in the area for 1.1 million people for 3 months.

“We just need to get it in. That’s why these crossings are so important, and more crossings are needed,” McCain told CNN.

Asked to paint a picture of the reality inside Gaza, McCain explained that “Children are dying as we speak, and those that are not dying or haven’t died yet are so emaciated and lacking so much in the way of important nutrients at this particular time in their life cycles.”

“If they do live, they’ll never recover from it,” she said.

UNICEF has reported that more than 13,000 children have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7. About 1 in 3 children under age 2 in northern Gaza is now acutely malnourished, as famine looms, Reuters reported, citing the United Nations.

More than 95% of the 2.3 million people in northern Gaza are facing a food insecurity crisis as of last month.

Seven aid workers from celebrity chef Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen died last week in an Israeli airstrike, a devastating incident that immediately prompted international condemnation. The World Central Kitchen’s convoy was hit as it was leaving a warehouse in Gaza, and the organization had coordinated movements with Israel’s military.

Sunday marked six months since Hamas launched a massive, deadly attack against Israel, sparking the current war that has rocked the region.

Contributing: USA TODAY Staff

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cindy McCain warns 'children are dying' in Gaza, says aid needs access