The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has released a distressing survey highlighting the severe impact of the Israeli bombardments on Gaza, focusing on the critical situation of over 1.1 million children in the region.
UNICEF reports that a staggering 90% of the young population in Gaza is not receiving adequate nutrition. The agency emphasized a “deadly triple threat” facing children in the Gaza Strip: rising disease cases, plummeting nutrition levels, and ongoing hostilities. Since the conflict’s outbreak on October 7, Palestinian casualties have reached 22,600, with a significant number being women and children.
Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s executive director, described the situation as a worsening nightmare for children in Gaza. The report noted a sharp increase in diarrhoea cases among children under five years, signalling a health crisis exacerbated by displacement and inadequate access to safe water and sanitation. This situation puts these children at a high risk of death due to prolonged diarrhoea.
Urgent Call for International Action
Russell called for immediate international intervention, stressing that the violence and suffering of children in Gaza must cease. She highlighted the precarious future of thousands of children, urging the world to take action.
Local footage from Gaza, filmed by journalist Amr Tabash, showed people, including children, desperately scrambling for food and essentials. The scenes depicted individuals trying to obtain hot food and children collecting leftovers to sustain themselves. The deteriorating conditions in Gaza have raised alarms about the possibility of acute malnutrition reaching famine thresholds, as indicated in UNICEF’s recent statement.
