UNRWA sounds alarm as 1 in 10 children in Gaza malnourished

US caregiver tells of Israeli authorities confiscating supplies of babe look being brought into Gaza by aesculapian workers.

One successful each 10 children screened successful clinics successful Gaza tally by the United Nations bureau for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, is malnourished, arsenic kid hunger surges crossed the territory amid the continuing Israeli blockade connected humanitarian aid.

Israel’s punishing prevention of assistance entering Gaza has led to “severe shortages of nutrition supplies”, UNRWA main Philippe Lazzarini said connected Tuesday, describing the concern for starving children arsenic “engineered and man-made”.

Lazzarini said the UN indispensable beryllium allowed to bash its enactment successful Gaza, peculiarly bringing successful “humanitarian assistance astatine scale, including for children”.

“Any further delay to a ceasefire volition origin much deaths,” helium said, noting that much than 870 starving Palestinians had been killed truthful acold portion trying to entree nutrient from the highly criticised organisation strategy tally by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is backed by Israel and the United States.

UNRWA’s communications director, Juliette Touma, told reporters successful Geneva via a videolink from Amman, Jordan, that “medicine, nutrition supplies, hygiene material, substance are each rapidly moving out”.

“Our wellness teams are confirming that malnutrition rates are expanding successful Gaza, particularly since the siege was tightened much than 4 months agone connected the 2nd of March,” Touma said.

“One caregiver that we spoke to told america that successful the past, helium lone saw these cases of malnutrition successful textbooks and documentaries,” she said.

“As malnutrition among children spreads crossed the war-torn enclave, UNRWA has implicit 6,000 trucks of food, hygiene supplies, medicine, aesculapian supplies extracurricular of Gaza. They are each waiting to spell in,” Touma added.

“The satellite cannot proceed to look away.”

“1 successful 10 children screened by UNRWA successful #Gaza is present malnourished,” UNRWA @JulietteTouma briefs the property astatine @UNGeneva.

Before the war, specified cases were astir unheard of.

Now, Gaza’s shattered wellness strategy is overwhelmed — and assistance is being blocked by the Government of Israel.… pic.twitter.com/3b8S2qONef

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) July 15, 2025

Since January 2024, UNRWA said it had screened much than 240,000 boys and girls nether the property of 5 successful its clinics, adding that earlier the war, acute malnutrition was uncommon successful Gaza.

Andee Clark Vaughan, an exigency caregiver with the Palestinian Australian New Zealand Medical Association (PANZMA) based successful Gaza, told Al Jazeera connected Wednesday however Israeli authorities had confiscated babe look from aesculapian workers entering the territory.

“Immune systems are truthful compromised present due to the fact that of the malnutrition,” Vaughan said, describing however Palestinian mothers are truthful malnourished that they are incapable to nutrient bosom beverage to provender their infants and forced to marque hard decisions to support their children alive.

“What we’ve been seeing present is moms trying to bash their utmost best, mixing h2o – which is often contaminated – with beans oregon lentils conscionable to marque thing of sustenance to get these kids fed and get them nutrients,” Vaughan added.

On Monday, UNICEF said that past month, much than 5,800 children were diagnosed with malnutrition successful Gaza, including much than 1,000 children with severe, acute malnutrition.

It said it was an summation for the 4th period successful a row.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies