UNICEF: 9,300 Children Under 5 Years Old In Gaza Suffer From Heavy Acute Malnutrition

Illustration of Gazan children queuing for food.. (Source: WAFA)

JAKARTA - More than 9,000 children under the age of 5 in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, were diagnosed with severe malnutrition in October, UNICEF warned on weekends, saying winter conditions and the rapid spread of disease are increasingly endangering the lives of the most vulnerable children in the region.

"The high level of malnutrition continues to endanger the lives and well-being of children in the Gaza Strip, exacerbated by the arrival of winter weather that accelerates the spread of disease and increases the risk of death among the most vulnerable children," the UN agency said in a statement on its website.

According to UNICEF, a nutrition check conducted by the agency and its partners last month "identified nearly 9,300 children under the age of 5 by acute malnutrition in October."

The agency further said a large number of winter supplies were still stuck on the Gaza border and called for safe, fast and unobstructed humanitarian aid deliveries to the region.

"When winter arrives, thousands of refugee families still live in temporary shelters without warm clothes, blankets, or protection from the weather, while heavy rains have swept away garbage and waste through floods and into residential areas," UNICEF explained.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said, "despite progress, thousands of children under the age of five are still acutely malnourished in Gaza, while many are short of proper shelter, sanitation, and protection for winter," the statement said.

"Too many children in Gaza are still facing hunger, disease, and exposure to cold temperatures, a condition that endangers their lives. Every minute is valuable to protect these children," he said.

Russell also called for the opening of all crossings to the Gaza Strip, with simplified and accelerated permit procedures as well as clear priorities for the entry of humanitarian supplies, which allow humanitarian aid to move through all possible supply routes, including through Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank.

The warning comes amid a ceasefire, which was effective in October, as Gaza faces growing humanitarian pressure.

The Palestinian government's media office said on Wednesday last week that a recent winter storm damaged about 22,000 tents protecting refugee families and causing more than 288,000 households to lose protection from the cold and rainy.

Authorities in Gaza estimate the region will require about 300,000 tents and a prefabricated housing unit to meet the most basic housing needs for Palestinians, after Israel destroyed civilian infrastructure during Israel's two-year genocide war.

Medical sources confirmed on Sunday that civilian casualties in the Palestinian enclave had reached 70,103 women and children, since Israel began its aggression to retaliate against the Palestinian militant group's attacks in October 2023.

Meanwhile, local health authorities reported the number of injured victims had reached 170,985, while many of the victims were still buried by the rubble, with rescue teams unable to reach them due to continued danger and limited access.

The Palestinian and Israeli militant groups agreed on the first phase of a ceasefire brokered by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States on October 9 and took effect a day later.

However, since then the number of victims has continued to increase, with 356 people dead, 908 injured, and 607 bodies found during this period, the sources added.