UNICEF: The Situation in Gaza is Catastrophic.. Families Unable to Provide Food for Their Children

SadaNews - UNICEF spokesperson, Tays Ingram, warned today, Sunday, about the worsening threat of famine in Gaza City, and the likelihood of its extension to central Gaza within weeks if urgent intervention is not taken.

Ingram stated that the risk of famine spreading in Gaza City is already present, emphasizing that families have become unable to provide food for their children, and that the situation in the region is "catastrophic". She explained that Palestinians, especially in the eastern and northern areas of Gaza City, live under a continuous threat from escalating Israeli bombardments.

She noted that residents of these areas are fleeing towards the west to the sea, where the number of camps and tents along the coastal strip is increasing. She added that hospital directors informed her about a rise in the number of children suffering from fractures, burns, and wounds due to Israeli bombardments in recent days.

In an interview from Gaza with Anadolu Agency, she pointed out that many residents of Gaza City are considering relocating south, but they are aware that conditions there are similar, with a scarcity of food and potable water and ongoing bombardments. She said: "There is no safe place in Gaza".

A Complete Catastrophe

Ingram clarified that the United Nations confirmed on August 22 that famine exists in Gaza, noting that the situation has not changed since then. The IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) reported in a document "the occurrence of famine in Gaza City (North)" and anticipated its extension to Deir al-Balah in central Gaza and Khan Younis in the south by the end of September.

The UN official affirmed that famine could extend to central Gaza within weeks if urgent action is not taken. She added: "Families are desperately searching for food and water; I met parents holding my hands crying and asking when will the food arrive? Will our child survive until then? The situation is a complete disaster".

She pointed out that health sector workers, humanitarian workers, and journalists have been warning about famine in Gaza for months, "but nothing has changed". She said that Palestinian families live in a state of helplessness as they know that the worst is yet to come and that "there is insufficient international pressure to change this reality".

She added that the clinics supported by UNICEF are witnessing crowds of families waiting for examinations for their children who are showing signs of malnutrition, many of whom are already receiving treatment.

Children Are Dying of Hunger

Ingram talked about her visit to several nutrition clinics this week, indicating that "the overall percentage shows that 15-20% of the children who were examined suffer from malnutrition, which is a very high rate, even exceeding the famine threshold".

She added, "This means that thousands of children are in urgent need of treatment, and large quantities of food and clean water must be brought into Gaza immediately. If the situation does not change, more children in Gaza will face the risk of dying from hunger".

She confirmed that more than 110 children have died to date due to malnutrition, almost half of whom in just this year alone, stressing that these deaths are "man-made" and could have been avoided. She emphasized that children are in urgent need of food, water, and medicine, asserting that hundreds of trucks must enter daily to cover basic needs, "but that is not happening at the moment".