UN Sounds Alarm on Deepening Child Malnutrition in Gaza
(MENAFN) A deepening child hunger emergency in Gaza is not incidental but “engineered” and man-made, according to UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, who on Tuesday issued an urgent alert over soaring malnutrition rates among children trapped in the conflict-ravaged enclave.
"One in 10 children screened in UNRWA medical facilities is malnourished," Lazzarini stated on X, highlighting how child nutrition has sharply deteriorated due to acute shortages of essential food supplies.
He shared a harrowing example of a 7-month-old infant, Salam, who died last week from malnutrition — a devastating symbol of what Lazzarini called a deliberate humanitarian breakdown. “Before the war, malnutrition was rare in Gaza. Now it is engineered & man-made,” he said.
The top humanitarian official also criticized the ongoing food aid system, warning of its fatal shortcomings. “More than 870 starving people were killed while desperately trying to access food from a flawed distribution system,” he wrote.
Lazzarini called for urgent international intervention, demanding unrestricted delivery of humanitarian relief. “The UN including UNRWA and partners must be allowed to do their work & bring in humanitarian assistance at scale including for children.”
Appealing for an immediate ceasefire, he warned: “Any additional delay to a ceasefire now will cause more deaths.”
The Gaza Strip has endured crippling blockades on food, fuel, and medical aid amid Israel's ongoing war, leaving more than two million residents in survival mode.
Both UN agencies and global human rights groups have issued repeated warnings of famine-like conditions, with children suffering the brunt of the devastation.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 998 Palestinians have been killed and over 7,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers since Israel began its latest military campaign in Gaza in October 2023.
In a significant legal ruling last July, the International Court of Justice deemed Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
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