The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned of a serious deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, confirming that approximately 26,000 children are in urgent need of treatment for severe malnutrition, including more than 10,000 children in Gaza City alone, in light of the massive ground offensive launched by the Israeli occupation army.
UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram said during a UN press conference that the forced and mass displacement of families from Gaza City poses a deadly threat to the most vulnerable groups. She added that more than one in eight children screened last August suffered from severe malnutrition, the highest level ever recorded in the Strip.
Ingram explained that nutrition centers in Gaza City were forced to close this week due to evacuation orders and the escalation of military operations. She stressed that the situation is “inhumane,” noting that nearly half a million children are already suffering from trauma as a result of more than 700 days of aggression.
UNICEF also reported that approximately 150,000 people have fled Gaza City to the southern part of the Strip since August 14, while residents continue to move within and around the city in search of safe shelter.
