Nearly five months into the Israeli aggression on the area, WHO’s representative for Gaza and the West Bank Richard Peeperkorn granted that one out of six children under two years old are suffering from severe malnutrition. “This was in January. So the situation is probably worse today,” he added.
On speaking to the press, Peeperkom underscored the rapid and severe malnutrition trend in Gaza is unprecedented globally, pointing out it has never been a problem there before.
Gaza was self-sufficient regarding fish, poultry, eggs, vegetables and fruits, even Gaza’s strawberries are famous and had been exported, he stressed.
Likewise, the Spokesman for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) James Elder warned that malnutrition rates for children under five years old in the north of Gaza Strip are three times higher than in Rafah, a southern town bordering Egypt, where aid arrives more easily.
However, Elder lamented that when that trickle of aid can arrive, it does not make a life-saving difference. At least 15 children died in recent days from malnutrition and dehydration in Kamal Adwan hospital, the Strip’s Health Ministry reported on Sunday.
Half a million Palestinians may be on the brink of starvation, but it is impossible for international agencies to get humanitarian assistance into the north, given the chaotic situation, and it is up to Israel, whose soldiers patrol the enclave, to facilitate safe access and food distribution.
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