An assessment by the World Health Organization (WHO) released here confirmed the detection of 1,600 children with the most dangerous form of malnutrition, while 32 people died, including 28 children under five years of age from this cause.

For its part, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned about the lack of capacity to care for children suffering from food insecurity in the enclave, where only two of the three specialized nutritional stabilization centers for severely malnourished children remain open.

Malnourished children are dying before their families’ eyes along with the decline in life-saving treatment, UNICEF said.

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the escalation of hostilities significantly hampers access to medical care and essential supplies.

The agency’s humanitarian partners are currently supporting some 280,000 people per week in Gaza with health services, however people face shortages of cooking gas and power supplies, hampering the operation of community kitchens and bakeries.

“Efforts to distribute food remain constrained by active fighting, damaged roads, a limited number of entry points into Gaza, sub-optimal hours of operation at crossings and checkpoints, and the limited number of trucks allowed access,” OCHA added.

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