WHO sounds alarm over permanent impact of hunger on a generation of Gazans
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning about the rising malnutrition rates in Gaza, highlighting the severe and lasting impact hunger could have on an entire generation, Arab News reported.
Since early March, Israel has imposed a blockade on supplies entering the Gaza Strip amid its military campaign against Hamas. This has led to a critical shortage of food and medical resources.
WHO representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Rik Peeperkorn, reported alarming conditions during a press briefing from Deir Al-Balah. He described seeing children who appeared years younger than their actual age due to acute malnutrition. At a hospital in northern Gaza, over 20 percent of children screened suffered from severe malnutrition. “What we see is an increasing trend in generalized acute malnutrition,” Peeperkorn said. He warned that without sufficient nutritious food, clean water, and healthcare access, cognitive development and physical growth in children will be permanently impaired.
The UN Palestinian refugee agency head Philippe Lazzarini accused Israel of using food and aid denial as a weapon of war. WHO criticized the current aid efforts as “grossly inadequate” to meet urgent needs. Due to the blockade, WHO’s supplies can only treat 500 children with acute malnutrition, far below the demand. Tragically, 55 children have already died from acute malnutrition in Gaza, underscoring the urgent humanitarian crisis unfolding in the enclave.
