UNICEF warned that child wasting - the most life-threatening form of malnutrition in children - could increase by almost 30%, affecting up to 10,000 children.
In a statement, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said: “Children at high risk of dying from malnutrition and disease desperately need medical treatment, clean water, and sanitation services, but the conditions on the ground do not allow us to safely reach children and families in need.”
She continued: “Some of the materials we desperately need to repair and increase water supply remain restricted from entering Gaza. The lives of children and their families are hanging in the balance. Every minute counts.”
UNICEF has been warning since November that children in southern Gaza are accessing only 1.5 to 2 liters of water per day, well below the recommended requirements for survival. To address this, UNICEF and partners have provided safe drinking water to over 1.3 million people, but much more is needed to address the desperate conditions.
UNICEF has also provided medical supplies, including 600,000 doses of vaccine, nutritional supplements and vitamins to children and pregnant women, and humanitarian cash transfers to over 500,000 households.
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