UNICEF warns of disease outbreaks among Gaza children, calls for increased humanitarian aid

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Saturday of the increasing risk of disease outbreaks among children in the Gaza Strip, calling for an increase in the delivery of humanitarian aid, particularly clothing and tents, given the harsh weather conditions.

In a statement, the organization explained that the current situation is increasingly threatening children’s well-being as the storm continues and the arrival of essential supplies is delayed, according to the official Palestinian news agency.

UNICEF called for the safe, rapid, and unimpeded transfer of humanitarian aid, including the large quantities of winter supplies that have accumulated at the Gaza border.

Nutrition assessments conducted by UNICEF and its partners in Gaza during November revealed that 9,300 children under the age of five in the Strip are suffering from acute malnutrition.

With American and European support, the Israeli enemy army has committed genocide, siege, and starvation in the Gaza Strip for over two consecutive years since October 7, 2023. This has resulted in the deaths of 70,654 Palestinian civilians, the majority of whom are children and women, and injuries to 171,095 others to date—a toll that is not yet final, as thousands of victims remain under the rubble and in the streets, inaccessible to ambulance and rescue teams.

A ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip came into effect on October 10, 2020, following a two-year-long Zionist war of genocide. However, the Israeli enemy army continues to violate the agreement daily and still prevents the entry of most humanitarian aid into the Strip.