More than 10,000 children in Gaza City need treatment for acute malnutrition

SadaNews - On Tuesday, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that more than 10,000 children need treatment for acute malnutrition in Gaza City, where the Israeli army is conducting a large-scale ground assault.

UNICEF spokesperson, Tis Ingram, speaking from the Mawasi area in the south, said, "The forced and mass displacement of families from Gaza City poses a deadly threat to the most vulnerable groups."

In a press conference held by the UN in Geneva, she warned of the worsening malnutrition among children.

She added that "26,000 children in the Gaza Strip currently need treatment for acute malnutrition, with more than 10,000 in Gaza City alone."

She explained that during August, more than one in eight children screened in the Gaza Strip suffered from acute malnutrition, "the highest level ever recorded." In Gaza City, one in five children suffered from acute malnutrition.

She noted that nutrition centers in Gaza City "were forced to close this week due to evacuation orders and intensified military operations."

The announcement of the Israeli ground assault on Gaza City came after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio left Israel.

Since the onset of the war, the Israeli army has launched numerous airstrikes on areas declared "humanitarian" and "safe" for civilians, claiming to target Hamas fighters, but their aggression results in the martyrdom of civilians, most of whom are children and women.

UNICEF's spokesperson stated, "It is inhumane to ask nearly half a million children suffering from trauma from more than 700 days of ongoing war to flee from one hell to another."

According to an Israeli military official, about 40% of the population of Gaza City and its surroundings, estimated to be one million, have left, according to the UN.

The restrictions imposed on media in Gaza and the difficulties in accessing many areas have prevented AFP from independently verifying information from various parties.

The UNICEF spokesperson mentioned that approximately 150,000 people have fled from Gaza City to the south since August 14, and people are also moving "within Gaza City and its surroundings."