8,000 Children Diagnosed with Malnutrition amid Ongoing Shelling in Gaza, Says UN

In southern Gaza's so-called safe zone of Al-Mawasi, heavy shelling was reported on Thursday, despite the international push for a ceasefire.

The UN health agency also revealed that 32 deaths from malnutrition, including 28 children under the age of five, have been recorded. The head of the UN World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned that a significant portion of Gaza's population is now facing catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions.

The dire situation is evident after more than eight months of war. The WHO Director-General stated that over 8,000 children have been diagnosed and treated for acute malnutrition, with 1,600 of them suffering from the most severe form of the condition. However, despite reports of increased food delivery, there is no evidence that those in greatest need are receiving sufficient quantity and quality of food.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) highlighted that only two out of three specialized nutrition stabilization centers for severely undernourished children in Gaza are still operational. Malnourished children are dying in front of their families, and access to healthcare is significantly hindered due to escalating hostilities.

Despite the challenges faced by aid teams, humanitarian partners are currently providing health services to approximately 280,000 people per week in Gaza. However, shortages of cooking gas and lack of power supply have made it difficult to maintain community kitchens and bakeries.

According to a statement issued by UN aid, the distribution of food is also constrained by active fighting, damaged roads, limited entry points into Gaza, suboptimal operating hours at crossings and checkpoints, and limited resources.

The UN aid office said: “Efforts to distribute food remain constrained by the active fighting, damaged roads, a limited number of entry points into Gaza, suboptimal operating hours at crossings and checkpoints, and the limited number of trucks allowed access.”

“To roll back months of near-starvation conditions in Gaza, other types of critical aid must also reach people in need.”