More than 20,000 children have suffered from malnutrition in Gaza since February, according to UN figures
Over 5,800 Gazan children were diagnosed with malnutrition in June, the UN children's agency (UNICEF) said on Sunday.
“Child malnutrition in Gaza is rising fast,” UNICEF said in a statement.
According to the organization, at least 5,870 children were hospitalized for urgent treatment last month, including more than 1,000 cases of severe malnutrition, marking “an increase for the fourth month in a row.”
UNICEF noted that 2,068 Gazan children were admitted for urgent treatment in February, 3,259 in March, 3,444 in April, and 5,514 in May.
“Children's bodies are wasting away. This is not just a nutrition crisis. It's a child survival emergency.”
The UN agency called for a rapid and large-scale delivery of humanitarian aid and a lasting ceasefire to help save children in Gaza.
According to Palestinian figures, at least 67 children have died of hunger in the war-torn Gaza Strip since October 2023.
Israel has kept Gaza crossings closed to food, medical, and humanitarian aid since March 2, deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave, affecting Gaza's 2.4 million residents. The blockade has pushed the region into famine conditions, with many reported deaths due to hunger.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 58,000 Palestinians so far, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and a spread of disease.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
