Children line up for food at Rafah, southern Gaza Strip / UNICEF
Gaza: Two more children succumbed to malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza. The health ministry on Wednesday stated that the latest deaths were at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. This makes the number of children's deaths rise above 6. The situation in Gaza intensified calls for urgent intervention from global organizations to prevent further casualties, which the UN warned an “imminent” famine.
“The death toll from the famine among children rose to six martyrs as a result of dehydration and malnutrition”, said the health ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra.
Aid agencies warn of an impending famine in northern Gaza, attributing critical shortages to Israel's alleged obstruction of supplies. The last humanitarian convoy reached Gaza over a month ago.
“We call on international institutions to take immediate action to prevent the humanitarian catastrophe in the northern Gaza Strip”, added Al-Qudra.
According to the UN, two children died earlier this week at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.
The dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza has claimed nearly 30,000 lives in less than five months, with Israel accused of targeting civilian infrastructure and obstructing humanitarian aid.
International bodies like the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have flagged a significant rise in malnutrition among vulnerable groups, emphasizing the urgent need for intervention. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) issued a warning on February 19, expressing concerns about the significant increase in malnutrition among children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers in the Gaza Strip, stating that it presents a substantial risk to their health, particularly amidst the ongoing conflict.
Despite an interim ruling by the International Court of Justice ordering Israel to cease genocidal acts and ensure humanitarian assistance, the situation remains dire, with the majority of Gaza's population displaced and essential infrastructure damaged or destroyed.