UN: Thousands of Children in Gaza Suffer from Severe Malnutrition

(MENAFN) The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, reported on Wednesday that more than 2,700 Palestinian children in Gaza have been diagnosed with acute malnutrition, highlighting the devastating impact of the ongoing Israeli blockade on the territory.

“The crisis has reached unprecedented levels of despair as people continue to go hungry across Gaza,” UNRWA declared in its statement.

The agency specified that these cases involve children under the age of five, diagnosed with severe malnutrition in late May.

Amid critical shortages of fuel, only a single medical center remains partially functional in northern Gaza, according to UNRWA, which emphasized the urgent need to restore humanitarian access.

“Humanitarian access must be urgently restored,” the statement stressed.

Since October 2023, Israel has rejected global calls for a ceasefire while maintaining a harsh military campaign in Gaza, which has resulted in nearly 55,000 Palestinian deaths, the majority being women and children.

Israel’s complete closure of Gaza’s border crossings to humanitarian aid since early March has intensified warnings from aid organizations about a looming famine threat for the enclave’s 2.4 million residents.

In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing a genocide lawsuit at the International Court of Justice over its military actions in the enclave.

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