In a distressing revelation, United Nations organizations declared on Tuesday that child malnutrition levels in northern Gaza have reached “particularly extreme” proportions, standing at approximately three times higher than in the southern part of the Palestinian enclave where aid access has been more substantial.
Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO representative for Gaza and the West Bank, disclosed that one in six children under two years old in northern Gaza is acutely malnourished, based on data recorded in January. Peeperkorn expressed concern that the situation is likely even more dire today.
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder emphasized the severity of the situation, noting that malnutrition rates for children under five in northern Gaza, where aid access has been highly limited since the onset of the conflict between Israel and Hamas on October 7, are three times higher than those in the southern city of Rafah.
The tragic toll of this crisis is becoming apparent, with at least 15 children succumbing to malnutrition and dehydration at Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, as reported by the health ministry in Gaza on Sunday.
Calls for Israel to take more decisive action to address the humanitarian crisis have grown louder, particularly following the deaths of Palestinians awaiting aid in Gaza last month. Gaza health authorities attribute 118 deaths to Israeli fire, terming it a massacre. Israel contends that many deaths occurred due to stampedes and pledges to investigate.
In addition to the hunger crisis, there is a rising threat of infectious diseases, with nine out of ten children under the age of five, approximately 220,000, falling ill in recent weeks, according to UNICEF spokesperson James Elder. Elder expressed deep concern about the devastating cycle of infectious diseases, lack of food, scarcity of clean water, and ongoing bombardment.
Amid discussions of a potential offensive into Rafah, a city largely populated by children, Elder emphasized the vulnerability of its three-quarters of a million young residents.
Israel’s intensified bombardment of Rafah last month, where an estimated 1.5 million people are cramped, has worsened the situation. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reveals that a quarter of the population, 576,000 people, are one step away from famine, nearly five months after Israel’s assault on Gaza began.
As the crisis deepens, the international community faces growing pressure to address the dire situation in northern Gaza and prevent further loss of innocent lives.
