UNICEF warns of 'catastrophic' effect of blocked aid routes on Gaza's children

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday warned about the dire situation facing children in the Gaza Strip due to blocked aid routes and intensified military operations by Israel.

"Children in Gaza continue to pay a catastrophic price from blocked aid routes and intensified military operations and fighting in Rafah and beyond, which have paralyzed the only pediatric hospital in north Gaza able to provide nutrition services," Executive Director Catherine Russell wrote on X.

Saying the children in Gaza, "who have survived over 7 months of war in Gaza are at ever growing risk of dying from malnutrition and dehydration," Russell stressed that severe acute malnutrition can result in irreversible cognitive and physical damage in small children.

"No child should die from starvation," she said.

Israel launched a ground offensive on May 6 in Rafah, where more than 1.5 million Palestinians have sheltered from Tel Aviv’s onslaught on the enclave.

The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) estimates that more than 800,000 people have fled the city since the start of the assault.

Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

At least 35,800 Palestinians have been killed, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and over 80,200 others injured since October, following an attack by the Palestinian group, Hamas.

More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the ICJ, which has ordered it to ensure that its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.