Gaza Faces Unprecedented Humanitarian Disaster, UN Agencies Warn
The United Nations has issued a grave warning about the potential for an unprecedented rise in child deaths in Gaza, driven by acute shortages of food, rampant malnutrition, and widespread disease. Twenty weeks into the conflict between Israel and Hamas, UN agencies have reported that basic necessities such as food and safe water have become incredibly scarce in the territory, leading to almost universal infection among young children with infectious diseases.
Ted Chaiban, deputy head of humanitarian action at UNICEF, emphasized the dire situation, stating, “The Gaza Strip is poised to witness an explosion in preventable child deaths which would compound the already unbearable level of child deaths in Gaza.” According to a joint assessment by UN agencies, 90 percent of children under five are suffering from infectious diseases, with a significant surge in cases of diarrhea, indicating a 23-fold increase from the 2022 baseline.
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The combination of hunger and disease has created a lethal situation, as explained by Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization emergencies director. Malnourished and traumatized children are at a higher risk of falling ill, and those who are sick, especially with diarrhea, struggle to absorb necessary nutrients, making the situation both dangerous and tragic.
The conflict, which began with a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, has resulted in significant casualties on both sides and has plunged Gaza into a nutritional crisis, with external aid being severely restricted. The UN’s findings reveal an alarming rate of acute malnutrition among children under two, with indications that the situation has worsened since the data collection in January.
Israel’s military operations, particularly in areas like Khan Yunis, have intensified the humanitarian crisis, with airstrikes and conflict affecting the civilian population’s access to food and water. Calls for an independent investigation into alleged Israeli abuses against Palestinian women and girls highlight the urgent need for international attention and action to address the humanitarian and human rights situation in Gaza.
