UNICEF: 5,800 children diagnosed with malnutrition in Gaza during June

GAZA, July 14 (YPA) – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced Sunday that over 5,800 children in the Gaza Strip were diagnosed with malnutrition during June, as the devastating Israeli war and the 18-year-long blockade continue to severely restrict access to food and essential services.

“More than 5,800 children were diagnosed with malnutrition in #Gaza in June, including more than 1,000 children with severe acute malnutrition, an increase for the fourth month in a row,” UNICEF on X.

UNICEF stressed that the catastrophic conditions in Gaza demand urgent and large-scale humanitarian aid, cautioning that children are facing escalating threats to their survival due to a widespread famine that has already claimed numerous lives, particularly among children, because of what it described as a campaign of extermination involving systematic starvation and a suffocating siege.

In the same context, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has warned of a sharp increase in malnutrition cases in Gaza, particularly among children and vulnerable groups, amid a severe shortage of essential medical supplies.

In a statement published Sunday on its official website, the agency stated that since March, it has been denied access to deliver any humanitarian assistance to northern Gaza, amid severe limitations on essential medical supplies.

Medical teams in Gaza have been forced to prioritize treatment for children with life-threatening illnesses and severe malnutrition, due to dwindling resources and the collapse of the healthcare system under relentless bombardment, according to UNRWA.

The Gaza Strip, home to approximately 2.4 million people, is enduring an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe since October 7, 2023. More than 1.5 million residents have lost their homes, and most health and humanitarian services have ceased due to destruction and resource depletion.

@E.Y.M