“High levels of malnutrition continue to threaten the lives and well-being of children in the Gaza Strip, exacerbated by the onset of winter weather, which accelerates the spread of disease and increases the risk of death among the most vulnerable children,” the UN agency said in a statement.
According to UNICEF, nutrition surveys conducted by the agency and its partners last month “identified nearly 9,300 children under five with acute malnutrition in October.”
The agency said that large quantities of winter supplies remain stuck at the borders of Gaza and called for safe, fast and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to the territory.
“As winter sets in, thousands of displaced families remain in makeshift shelters without warm clothing, blankets or protection from the elements, while heavy rains have washed waste and sewage through floodwaters into populated areas,” it added.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said that “despite progress, thousands of children under the age of five remain acutely malnourished in Gaza, while many more lack adequate shelter, sanitation and winter protection,” the statement said.
“Too many children in Gaza continue to face hunger, disease and exposure to freezing temperatures, life-threatening conditions. Every minute counts to protect these children,” she said.
Russell also called for the opening of all crossings into the Gaza Strip, with simplified and expedited customs clearance procedures and clear prioritization of humanitarian aid entry, allowing humanitarian aid to move through all possible supply routes, including through Egypt, Israel, Jordan and the West Bank.
The warning came despite a ceasefire, which came into effect in October, as Gaza faces mounting humanitarian pressures. The government’s media office said on Wednesday that the recent winter storm damaged about 22,000 tents housing displaced families and left more than 288,000 households without protection from the cold and rain.
Authorities in Gaza estimate that the territory needs approximately 300,000 tents and prefabricated housing units to meet the most basic housing needs of Palestinians, after Israel destroyed civilian infrastructure during two years of war.
Since October 2023, the Israeli military has killed nearly 70,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, and wounded more than 170,900 in a more than two-year war that has left much of the enclave in ruins.
(Vijesti.ba)
