UN: "14,000 Children in Gaza Suffer Acute Malnutrition... Restrictions on Aid Deliveries to Blame"

Among 239,000 People, 6.2% Suffer from Acute Malnutrition

As the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, the entry of relief supplies into the Gaza Strip in Palestine has been restricted for over three months, leading to a rapid deterioration in the nutritional status of local children, according to a recent investigation.

Palestinian children sit in front of the rubble of a destroyed building in Rafa, southern Gaza Strip.
[Photo by AFP, Yonhap News] [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

On the 26th (local time), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that among approximately 239,000 children aged 6 months to 5 years who underwent nutritional assessments at refugee protection and medical facilities in the Gaza Strip from January to last month, 6.2%, or 14,750 children, were diagnosed with acute malnutrition.

Acute malnutrition is a more severe form of nutritional deficiency than general malnutrition, and if timely nutritional support and treatment are not provided, there is a high risk of death.

OCHA also pointed out that the number of children suffering from life-threatening levels of nutritional deficiency is rapidly increasing.

OCHA explained, "Compared to the data collected in May, the number of children diagnosed with acute malnutrition increased by more than 300% in the northern Gaza Strip and about 156% in the southern region."

Regarding the cause, OCHA criticized that since May, after the Israeli military took control of the Rafah border crossing at the southernmost tip of the Gaza Strip, the inflow of relief supplies has significantly decreased.

The nutritional status of breastfeeding women has also been found to be severe. OCHA stated, "Among breastfeeding women who underwent nutritional assessments in June and July this year, 9 to 10% were diagnosed with acute malnutrition," adding, "There is an increase in premature and low birth weight infants, and breastfeeding by mothers is also greatly hindered."

An OCHA official said, "Not only is access to roads for bringing in relief supplies restricted, but the sanitation, housing, and medical environments have recently worsened, resulting in food shortages and malnutrition observed throughout the Gaza Strip, and there is a high risk that these conditions will further deteriorate."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.