“The scale and purpose of the destruction inflicted upon the civilian population [in Gaza], especially children and women, has surpassed the threshold of a humanitarian crisis,” he said in the letter, according to a news release by the Health Ministry on Sunday.  

The minister referred to the collapse of the public health system in Gaza, describing it as the deliberate destruction of the essence of human life.

He urged the international community to respond immediately and effectively to collective punishment, ethnic cleansing, and genocide taking place in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Zafarghandi pointed to the extremely difficult and painful conditions faced by the civilian population in Gaza, saying that many infants are dying in their mothers' arms due to severe malnutrition and dehydration. According to statistics, over 32% of children under two years old are suffering from acute malnutrition, he added.

The Iranian official also said that famine is being used as a weapon of war, adding that families have been forced to survive by eating grass, animal feed, and other non-food items, while humanitarian aid is deliberately blocked or destroyed.

The minister strongly condemned the atrocities of the Israeli regime and called for a series of immediate actions by the international community, including the establishment of field hospitals and nutrition crisis response teams, and facilitating humanitarian flights by the United Nations to transport special food for infants.

He also called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (O.I.C.) to immediately pass resolutions aimed at lifting the Gaza siege and allocating emergency financial and logistical resources for vital interventions.

“Every hour of delay takes innocent lives, and every day of hesitation buries another child in the ground,” he noted.