An alarming lack of food, surging malnutrition and the rampant spread of disease could spark an explosion in child deaths in Gaza, the United Nations warned Monday.Twenty weeks into Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, UN agencies warned that food and safe water had become "incredibly scarce" in the Palestinian territory, adding that virtually all young children had infectious illnesses.

“The Gaza Strip is poised to witness an explosion in preventable child deaths which would compound the already unbearable level of child deaths in Gaza,” said Ted Chaiban, deputy head of humanitarian action at the UN children’s agency UNICEF.

At least 90 percent of children under five in Gaza are affected by one or more infectious diseases, according to a joint assessment by the UN agencies for children, food and health.

Seventy percent had had diarrhoea in the two weeks prior to the assessment, marking a 23-fold increase compared to the 2022 baseline.

“Hunger and disease are a deadly combination,” World Health Organization emergencies director Mike Ryan said in a statement.

“Hungry, weakened and deeply traumatised children are more likely to get sick, and children who are sick, especially with diarrhoea, cannot absorb nutrients well,” he said.

“It’s dangerous, and tragic, and happening before our eyes.”

  • Therealgoodjanet@lemmy.worldEnglish
    201·
    8 months ago

    Children with acute malnutrition have weakened immune systems and are at higher risk of dying from common childhood diseases. Those that survive could face lifelong growth and development challenges. They risk facing a future marked by illness, poor school results, and poverty with ripple effects across generations.

    From the WHO on malnutrition in children. It looks like that’s a win-win in Netanyahu’s books. If they don’t die now, they will have severely impacted lives. So in 15-20 years we will hear how uneducated they are and incapable of taking care of themselves.

      • livus@kbin.social
        10·
        8 months ago

        Children, presumably, since that’s the main subject of the article.

        The other subject is UN agencies but they have been calling for ceasefires and pauses this whole time.

          • livus@kbin.social
            10·
            8 months ago

            I meant the UN

            Then you are badly misinformed. The article is about the UN agencies WHO and UNICEF.

            The WHO was calling for a ceasefire as early as Oct 27, 2023.

            UNICEF was calling for a ceasefire on Oct 31, 2023.

            From WHO last October:

            WHO reiterates its calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, and reminds all parties to the conflict to take all precautions to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. This includes health workers, patients, health facilities and ambulances, and civilians who are sheltering in these facilities.

            From UNICEF last October:

            From the earliest days of the unprecedented hostilities in the Gaza Strip, UNICEF has been forthright on the need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, for the aid to flow and for children abducted to be released. Like many others, we have pleaded for the killing of children to stop.