Malnutrition on rise among Gaza's children, says UN

Palestinian refugee agency warns supplies are running out

- ADAM HARDYMAN

One in 10 children screened in clinics run by the United Nations refugee agency in Gaza are malnourished, the agency said yesterday 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 2 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.”