More than 9,000 Kids in Gaza Hospitalised for Severe Malnutrition in the Month of October, According to UN Figures.
Although a cessation of hostilities was put in place two months back, malnutrition persists in causing damage among Gaza’s young. Recent United Nations statistics reveal that more than 9,000 children were admitted to hospital with acute malnutrition in October by itself.
While the immediate threat of famine has receded for the majority of the 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza in the wake of the ceasefire announcement on 10 October, humanitarian groups indicate persistent restrictions on their aid convoys. Officials report these shipments do not meet the needs of a population enfeebled and distressed by a prolonged two-year war, homelessness, and living in inadequate housing.
“In Gaza’s hospitals I have met multiple babies who weighed less than one kilogramme, their little bodies laboring with the effort of staying alive,” stated Tess Ingram, a spokesperson for the UN child protection agency Unicef.
Disturbingly Large Numbers Remain
According to Unicef figures, 9,300 children were received care for severe acute malnutrition in October. This is considerably lower than the peak of 14,000 children seen in August, but far greater than the child malnutrition rate observed during the prior halt in fighting in February and March of this year.
“It’s still a shockingly high number,” Ingram noted, briefing journalists by video from Gaza.
In October, about 8,300 pregnant and breastfeeding women were also admitted for acute malnutrition.
“This development is a stark caution and it is expected to lead to underweight newborns being born in the Gaza Strip for many months ahead,” Ingram stated further. “The crisis is not finished. Generations of families, even those born currently into this ceasefire, have been irrevocably transformed by what was inflicted upon them.”
Aid Deliveries Continue to Be Not Enough
UN organizations report that relief convoys reaching Gaza have grown since the height of the war, but are still completely inadequate compared to the scale of need.
On average 140 aid trucks a day have crossed so far in December, in deliveries arranged by the UN and the International Organisation for Migration. That is well below the aim of 600 trucks a day established under the ceasefire.
This data do not include direct country-to-country aid and trade deliveries, which have grown more steeply than shipments organized by the UN during the cessation of hostilities. They have brought down the cost of many goods in markets, but they are still unattainable for the overwhelming majority of people in Gaza who have had zero earnings for over 24 months and who have used up all their saved funds.
Logistical Hurdles
Since the ceasefire, aid has been facilitated via a international coordination center referred to as the Civil-Military Coordination Centre headed by the US and Israel and with representatives of other countries in favor of the cessation of hostilities. Nevertheless, representatives and relief staff state that the Israeli army continues to have the ultimate authority in authorizing shipments into Gaza.
The UN reported that from eight humanitarian convoys coordinated with Israeli authorities on a recent Sunday, merely four received permission to proceed.
