The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached alarming new levels, with the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, warning that more than 10,000 children in Gaza City alone are in urgent need of treatment for acute malnutrition.
The agency described the situation as life-threatening, highlighting the impact of displacement, collapsing health systems, and food insecurity on the most vulnerable.
The warning came on Tuesday as the Israeli military launched a major ground offensive in Gaza City, further displacing families and cutting off already limited humanitarian services.
Speaking from Al-Mawasi, a coastal strip in southern Gaza, UNICEF spokeswoman Tess Ingram painted a grim picture of worsening hunger among children.
“The forced and massive displacement of families from Gaza City is a deadly threat to the most vulnerable,” she told journalists at a UN briefing in Geneva.
“We estimate that 26,000 children in the Gaza Strip currently require treatment for acute malnutrition, including more than 10,000 in Gaza City alone.”
She revealed that data collected in August showed that more than one in eight children examined in the Gaza Strip suffered from acute malnutrition—the highest level ever recorded. In Gaza City, the figure rose to one in five.
However, access to treatment has been crippled, as nutrition centres were forced to shut down this week following evacuation orders and heightened military operations.
Israeli authorities maintain that civilians evacuating southwards to designated areas like Al-Mawasi will find food, tents, and medical support.
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Yet, humanitarian groups note that so-called “safe zones” have often been bombed during the conflict.
Ingram described the situation as “inhumane,” saying: “It is inhumane to expect nearly half a million children, battered and traumatised by over 700 days of unrelenting conflict, to flee one hellscape to end up in another.”
The displacement crisis continues to grow. According to UNICEF, about 150,000 people have fled Gaza City since August 14, adding to the estimated one million people displaced in the city and its surrounding areas. Still, many remain trapped inside and around Gaza City with nowhere to go.
The roots of the crisis trace back to October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,219 people, most of them civilians, and taking 251 hostages.
In response, Israel launched a sustained military campaign in Gaza. According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry—figures deemed broadly reliable by the UN—at least 64,964 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since then.
The United Nations has warned repeatedly that Gaza’s population, particularly children, is facing catastrophic hunger.
UNICEF’s latest assessment underscores the urgent need for uninterrupted humanitarian access to food, clean water, and healthcare.
Aid agencies stress that without immediate action, the soaring rates of malnutrition could lead to irreversible damage or death for thousands of children.
Media restrictions and access difficulties mean independent verification of all claims remains limited. However, UNICEF insists its findings reflect the reality faced by families caught between relentless military operations and collapsing infrastructure.
“The children of Gaza are running out of time,” Ingram warned, calling for urgent global action to address what she described as an unprecedented child malnutrition crisis.
Punch
