One in 10 children screened in clinics run by the United Nations refugee agency in Gaza are malnourished, the agency said on Tuesday as it warned medical supplies are running out.
“Our health teams are confirming that malnutrition rates are increasing in Gaza, especially since the siege was tightened more than four months ago on the second of March,” UNRWA’s director of communications, Juliette Touma, said in a video briefing.
Since January 2024, UNRWA has screened more than 240,000 children under the age of five in its clinics, adding that before the war, acute malnutrition was rarely seen in the Gaza Strip.
“One nurse that we spoke to told us that in the past, he only saw these cases of malnutrition in textbooks and documentaries,” Ms Touma said.
“Medicine, nutrition supplies, hygiene material, fuel are all rapidly running out.”
Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza on 19 May, allowing limited UN deliveries to resume. However, UNRWA continues to be banned from bringing aid into the strip.
Israel and the United States have accused militant group Hamas of stealing from UN-led aid operations, which it denies. They have instead set up the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, using private US security and logistics firms to transport aid to distribution hubs, which the UN has refused to work with.
Unicef said on Monday that more than 5,800 children were diagnosed with malnutrition in Gaza last month, including more than 1,000 children with severe, acute malnutrition. It said it was an increase for the fourth month in a row.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it had begun striking targets belonging to Hezbollah’s elite unit, the Radwan Force, in the Bekaa region of eastern Lebanon. The Lebanese health ministry said at least six people were injured in the Israeli strikes.
There was no immediate public response from Hezbollah or the Lebanese government to the latest Israeli strikes.
Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire deal in November, ending more than a year of fighting that had spilled over from Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
Israel’s strikes send a “clear message” to Hezbollah, defence minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday, accusing it of seeking to rebuild its forces in violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Elsewhere, a rescheduled United Nations conference later this month will discuss post-war plans for Gaza and preparations for the recognition of a Palestinian state by France and others.
The conference, originally to be held in mid-June, was postponed under US pressure and after the 12-day Israel-Iran air war began, during which regional airspace was closed, making it hard for representatives of some Arab states to attend.
French president Emmanuel Macron had been set to attend the conference and had suggested he could recognise a Palestinian state in Israeli-occupied territories at the conference, a move opposed by Israel.
Diplomats say Mr Macron has faced resistance from Britain and Canada over his push for the recognition of a Palestinian state. He is no longer expected to attend, reducing the likelihood of any major announcements being made.
Reuters contributed to this report
