UK-based charity warns against child malnutrition in Gaza amid conflict

By Nur Asena Erturk

The UK-based organization Save the Children warned on Tuesday against child malnutrition in Gaza amid the conflict.

The organization recalled that 346,000 children under the age of 5 are at risk in Gaza.

“In the north, it is estimated that one in three children under the age of two are now suffering from wasting, the most severe form of malnutrition, compared to one in six children in January, according to The Global Nutrition Cluster - a group of humanitarian organisations focused on nutrition,” it explained.

The British charity narrated the stories of Gazans, including children with special health conditions such as anemia, or those starving to death, and added that “they also need essential medicines such as antibiotics, health facilities, and trained health care workers who can detect and treat malnutrition.”

“Life-saving supplies which could be used to treat malnourished children are being delayed and denied entry by the Government of Israel. Essential food and medical items are obstructed from entering Gaza for days, weeks, or even months,” the organization also said.

It further added that attacks on aid workers undermine deliveries, “further restricting an already hamstrung humanitarian response.”

Israel has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas, which claimed 1,200 lives.

It has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

Last week, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to ensure "unhindered provision" of urgent aid to Gaza. The UN court said “Palestinians in Gaza are no longer facing only a risk of famine ... but that famine is setting in.”