The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said that one in 10 children examined in clinics it operates in Gaza suffers from malnutrition.
"Our health teams confirm that malnutrition rates in Gaza have increased, especially since the blockade was tightened more than four months ago on March 2," UNRWA Director of Communications Juliette Touma said in Geneva via video link from the Jordanian capital, Amman.
It noted that UNRWA has examined more than 240,000 children under the age of five in its clinics since January 2024, adding that malnutrition was rarely detected in the Gaza Strip before the war.
"A nurse we spoke to told us that in the past he only knew about malnutrition cases through books and documentaries," Toma added.
It stressed that medicines, food supplies, hygiene materials and fuel are all running out rapidly.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Monday that more than 5,800 children were diagnosed with malnutrition in Gaza last month, including more than 1,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. This marks the fourth consecutive month of increase.
It's worth noting that medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported a few days ago that the number of children killed due to malnutrition so far has reached 67, while more than 650,000 children under the age of five face a real and immediate risk of severe malnutrition in the coming weeks, out of a total of 1.1 million children in the Strip.
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UNRWA: One in 10 children in Gaza who undergo screening suffers from malnutrition.