UNICEF: One in five children in Gaza suffers from low birth weight.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) stated on Monday that one in five children in the Gaza Strip is born prematurely or with low birth weight, due to the ongoing systematic starvation imposed by Israel on Palestinians for the past two years.

The organization clarified in a post on the American platform "X" that it provided essential hygiene supplies to hospitals and health centers in Gaza City this week.

However, it emphasized that Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip "need access to more life-saving nutrition and health services."

The UN agency reiterated its demand for the immediate introduction of widespread aid for children, infants, and families in the Gaza Strip.

It renewed its call for a ceasefire in the area, which has been subjected to systematic starvation by Israel for months and a suffocating blockade for nearly two years.

The strict Israeli blockade on Palestinians has led to an unprecedented famine, resulting in the deaths of 422 people, including 147 children, as of September 29, despite numerous appeals to end the blockade, open the crossings, and deliver aid immediately.

On August 22, 2025, the Global Initiative for the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification announced a "famine situation in Gaza City," predicting its extension to other areas in the strip.

Since March 2, Israel has closed all crossings leading to Gaza, preventing any humanitarian aid, which has plunged the area into famine despite relief trucks piling up at its borders.

However, less than two months ago, it allowed a very limited amount of aid to enter, which does not meet the minimum needs of the starving population and does not end the famine, especially as most trucks have been subjected to looting by gangs that the "Gaza government" claims are protected by Israel.

With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, resulting in 66,055 deaths and 168,346 injuries, most of whom are children and women, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 442 Palestinians, including 147 children.