"UNICEF": More than 5,800 children suffer from malnutrition in Gaza during June... and famine claims the lives of dozens of children

SadaNews - The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced today, Sunday, that over 5,800 children have been diagnosed with malnutrition in the Gaza Strip during the last month of June, amidst the ongoing Israeli war and the blockade imposed on the region for 18 years.

The UN agency stated in a post on the "X" platform that among these children, more than a thousand are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, noting that these numbers represent a "continuing rise for the fourth consecutive month."

UNICEF affirmed that "the catastrophic conditions in the Gaza Strip require humanitarian aid to be delivered quickly and on a large scale," warning that children face increasing risks to their lives amidst a rampant famine that has claimed many lives, especially among children, due to a war of extermination that involves systematic starvation and a suffocating blockade.

In the same context, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) warned today, Sunday, of a sharp rise in cases of malnutrition in the sector, confirming that "cases of malnutrition in its clinics have seen a noticeable increase since last March due to the tightening of the occupation forces' blockade and the prevention of humanitarian aid from entering."

UNRWA explained that "since March, the agency has not been allowed to deliver any humanitarian aid" to the northern areas of the Gaza Strip, amid severe restrictions on essential medical supplies.

It added that medical teams in the sector were forced to prioritize children suffering from severe illnesses and acute malnutrition, in light of the lack of resources and the collapse of the health system due to continuous bombardment.

The Gaza Strip, home to about 2.4 million people, is experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian disaster since the start of the Israeli aggression on October 7, 2023, with more than 1.5 million people having lost their homes, and the majority of health and humanitarian services have come to a halt due to destruction and depleted resources.