The clock is ticking down — towards the annihilation of babies in Gaza. If Israel doesn’t allow for aid to enter the besieged enclave, a whopping 14,000 babies could die within the next 48 hours, according to United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher.

The horrific picture painted by Fletcher comes as Israel has blocked all food, medicine and other life-saving aid from entering the area since March 2. As of Monday (May 19), a trickle of aid was authorised to enter for the first time since then but was not immediately distributed.

But what’s going on? Why is the situation so dire? We take a closer look.

‘14,000 babies in Gaza could die in next 48 hours’

In an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher warned that as many as 14,000 babies could die in Gaza within 48 hours if more aid does not enter the war-torn enclave.

“There are 14,000 babies that will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them… We run all sorts of risks trying to get that baby food through to those mothers who cannot feed their children right now because they’re malnourished,” he said, speaking to BBC’s Radio 4.