Warns Of Risks Of Child Death Spike, UNICEF Urges Full Flow Of Aid To Gaza

JAKARTA - The UN children's charity (UNICEF) on Friday called for all food aid crossings to Gaza that were ravaged by the war to open, saying children's deaths could increase considering their immune system had been severely disrupted.

"The situation is critical. We are at risk of seeing a major spike in child mortality, not only neonatal, but also babies, given that their immune system is more disrupted than ever before," said UNICEF spokesman Ricardo Pires.

Nutrition support is a top priority, says UNICEF, with 50,000 children at risk of acute malnutrition and requiring immediate treatment.

Pires said children's immunity was low because "they haven't eaten well and recently it's been too long".

"Children need the right vitamins and nutrients to develop and be able to overcome changes in temperature, or the virus outbreak," he explained.

Israeli forces began to withdraw from parts of the Palestinian territories on Friday under a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, in the first phase of United States President Donald Trump's initiative to end a two-year war.

Earlier, a UN official said on Thursday the agency planned to increase the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, where some areas experienced starvation, within the first 60 days of a ceasefire in the enclave.