The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) issued a stark warning on Tuesday about the growing child malnutrition crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Data collected from UNRWA clinics and medical centers across the territory shows that one in ten children in Gaza is currently suffering from malnutrition. This alarming figure highlights the dire and deteriorating humanitarian situation facing the region’s youngest residents.
During a press briefing in Geneva, UNRWA’s Director of Communications Juliette Touma said malnutrition rates have increased in Gaza, especially since the siege tightened four months ago, adding that UNRWA health teams have screened over 240,000 boys and girls across the Gaza Strip since January 2024.
UNRWA Facing Critical Shortages for Malnutrition Combat
Touma has issued a grave warning: therapeutic supplies essential for combating child malnutrition are virtually depleted. UNRWA is experiencing severe shortages across medicines, nutritional provisions, fuel, and hygiene materials. The agency’s food stocks, Touma confirmed, ran out in late April.
She noted that nearly 60 per cent of essential medicines have depleted from UNRWA’s warehouses since Israeli forces banned the agency from bringing in any humanitarian aid, including food and medicines, on March 2.
On the Israeli aggression on the occupied West Bank, Touma described it as a silent war that continues to escalate in parallel with what is happening in Gaza, particularly amid severe restrictions on freedom of movement, imposed by the Israeli forces, rising poverty and unemployment due to loss of livelihoods.
Touma stressed that despite these challenges, UNRWA continues its operations across the occupied Palestinian territory through a 14,000-strong local workforce, delivering essential services, particularly in the fields of healthcare and education, to Palestinian refugees and others in need
