SAEDNEWS: The UN children’s agency warned on Saturday that severe acute malnutrition among Gaza’s youngest children is accelerating, saying Israeli control over access points continues to block essential winter supplies as disease and cold spread across the enclave.
UNICEF reports that nearly 9,300 children under five in Gaza were diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition in October. The agency warns that rising malnutrition, combined with winter conditions, is putting children’s lives at serious risk.
Screenings conducted with humanitarian partners last month identified almost 9,300 acutely malnourished children under five. UNICEF also noted that large shipments of winter aid remain blocked at Gaza’s borders due to Israeli restrictions, calling for safe and unobstructed humanitarian access.
Thousands of displaced families continue to live in makeshift shelters without warm clothing, blankets, or basic protection, while heavy rains have pushed waste and sewage into populated areas.
“Despite progress, thousands of children under five remain acutely malnourished in Gaza, and many more lack proper shelter, sanitation, and protection against winter,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Too many children in Gaza are still facing hunger, illness, and exposure to cold temperatures, conditions that put their lives at risk.”
Russell urged authorities to open all crossings into Gaza, streamline procedures, and prioritize humanitarian shipments through any feasible route, including Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank.
Humanitarian agencies stress that the crisis continues despite a ceasefire that took effect in October, as Gaza grapples with shortages and worsening weather.
Gaza’s government media office reported that a winter storm this week damaged approximately 22,000 tents housing displaced families and left more than 288,000 households exposed to cold and rain. Authorities estimate the territory needs around 300,000 tents and prefabricated units after two years of Israeli military operations destroyed much civilian infrastructure.
Local officials say nearly 70,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, have been killed since October 2023, and more than 170,900 injured, leaving much of the enclave in ruins.
