War broke out after the Hamas attack on October 7. (File)
Geneva:
More than 8,000 children under the age of five have been treated in the Gaza Strip for acute malnutrition since the start of the war, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 28 of those children had died and that a significant proportion of Gaza’s population now faced catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions.
“Despite reports of an increase in food deliveries, there is currently no evidence that those who need it most are receiving food in sufficient quantity and quality,” he said at a press conference.
Tedros said the UN health agency and its partners have tried to expand nutrition services in the besieged Palestinian territory.
“More than 8,000 children under the age of five have been diagnosed and treated for acute malnutrition,” he said.
Among them, he said 1,600 suffered from severe acute malnutrition, also known as severe wasting – the deadliest form of malnutrition.
However, due to insecurity and lack of access, only two stabilization centers for severely malnourished patients can currently operate, Tedros added.
“Our inability to safely provide health services, combined with a lack of clean water and sanitation, significantly increases the risk of malnourished children,” he said.
“There have been 32 deaths attributed to malnutrition, including 28 among children under five.”
The war broke out after the Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures.
The Israeli army launched a devastating offensive in Gaza that left more than 37,000 dead, most of them civilians, according to the Ministry of Health in the territory governed by Hamas.
Tedros said there is also a growing health crisis in the West Bank, with attacks on healthcare and restrictions on movement obstructing access to healthcare services.
He said that since the start of the war in Gaza, the WHO has documented 480 attacks on health facilities and personnel in the West Bank, resulting in 16 deaths and 95 injuries in the Palestinian territory.
The WHO surveillance system for healthcare attacks does not attribute responsibility.
“In the West Bank, as in Gaza, the only solution is peace,” said Tedros.
“The best medicine is peace.”
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