UN raises alarm over increase in fatalities among children in Gaza

UN cautions that a concerning shortage of food, increasing malnutrition rates, and the rapid spread of disease may lead to a surge in child fatalities in Gaza

United Nations organizations issued alerts about the severe scarcity of food and clean water in the Palestinian region as it heads into 20 weeks into the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

They also highlighted that nearly all young children were suffering from contagious diseases. 

Ted Chaiban, the deputy head of humanitarian efforts at UNICEF, expressed concerns about the imminent rise in avoidable child fatalities in Gaza, which would exacerbate the already unbearable child mortality rates in the area. 

A combined evaluation by U.N. bodies focusing on children, nutrition, and healthcare revealed that approximately 90% of children under five in Gaza were grappling with one or more infectious ailments.

A staggering 70% had experienced diarrhea in the two weeks leading up to the assessment, representing a significant surge compared to the 2022 baseline. 

Mike Ryan, the emergency director at the World Health Organization (WHO), emphasized the dangerous blend of hunger and disease, underscoring how malnourished and traumatized children were more susceptible to illnesses.

He lamented the unfolding tragedy of children falling sick, particularly with conditions like diarrhea that hinder nutrient absorption. 

The attack by Hamas on southern Israel on Oct. 7 resulted in the loss of around 1,160 lives in Israel, predominantly civilians, as per an Agence France-Presse (AFP) analysis of Israeli official data.

Conversely, Israel’s offensive in Gaza claimed over 29,000 lives, primarily women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-governed region. 

Since the onset of the conflict, Gaza has been thrust into a nutritional crisis, with external assistance severely limited.

The U.N. evaluation indicated that over 15% of children under two in northern Gaza were severely malnourished, with 3% facing life-threatening severe wasting. 

The U.N. agencies cautioned the situation was likely even more dire than when the data was gathered in January.

In southern Gaza, 5% of children under two were identified as acutely malnourished. 

Before the conflict, merely 0.8% of children under five in Gaza were classified as severely malnourished, underscoring the stark deterioration in the region’s health and nutrition conditions. 

 Source: Newsroom