UNRWA: Malnutrition cases on the rise in Gaza

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) confirmed that its teams continue to provide humanitarian services in the Gaza Strip, despite significant challenges and a severe shortage of essential medical supplies.

The agency said in a statement on its official website on Sunday that its clinics inside the Gaza Strip have witnessed a "significant increase in the number of malnutrition cases," particularly among children and the most vulnerable groups, since the beginning of the tightened Israeli blockade on Gaza last March.

UNRWA noted that restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, are exacerbating the health and living conditions of the population, calling on the international community to "take urgent action to ensure the delivery of vital supplies and end the worsening suffering."

The agency warned that the continuation of this situation portends an imminent humanitarian disaster, given the near-total collapse of the health infrastructure and rising rates of poverty and malnutrition, particularly among children and women.