UNRWA: One in five children in Gaza suffers from malnutrition

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said that one in five children in Gaza suffers from malnutrition, with cases increasing daily.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said Thursday that most of the children being received by the agency's teams are emaciated and weak, and are at serious risk of death if they do not receive the urgent treatment they need. He noted that more than 100 people have died of starvation, the vast majority of them children.

He explained that parents are so hungry that they are unable to care for their children, and those who arrive at UNRWA clinics lack the energy, food, or means to follow medical advice. He added that the worsening crisis in Gaza is affecting everyone, including health workers in the war-torn territory.

Lazzarini called for allowing humanitarian workers to deliver aid without restrictions and without interruption to Gaza and its people, noting that UNRWA has the equivalent of 6,000 trucks loaded with food and medical supplies in Jordan and Egypt, awaiting permission to enter the Strip.