US nurse tells of Israeli authorities confiscating provides of child method being introduced into Gaza by medical employees.
One in each 10 youngsters screened in clinics in Gaza run by the United Nations company for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, is malnourished, as youngster starvation surges throughout the territory amid the persevering with Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid.
Israel’s punishing prevention of support getting into Gaza has led to “extreme shortages of vitamin provides”, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini mentioned on Tuesday, describing the state of affairs for ravenous youngsters as “engineered and man-made”.
Lazzarini mentioned the UN have to be allowed to do its work in Gaza, significantly bringing in “humanitarian help at scale, together with for kids”.
“Any extra delay to a ceasefire will trigger extra deaths,” he mentioned, noting that greater than 870 ravenous Palestinians had been killed thus far whereas making an attempt to entry meals from the extremely criticised distribution system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is backed by Israel and america.
UNRWA’s communications director, Juliette Touma, advised reporters in Geneva through a videolink from Amman, Jordan, that “drugs, vitamin provides, hygiene materials, gas are all quickly operating out”.
“Our well being groups are confirming that malnutrition charges are rising in Gaza, particularly because the siege was tightened greater than 4 months in the past on the second of March,” Touma mentioned.
“One nurse that we spoke to advised us that previously, he solely noticed these circumstances of malnutrition in textbooks and documentaries,” she mentioned.
“As malnutrition amongst youngsters spreads throughout the war-torn enclave, UNRWA has over 6,000 vans of meals, hygiene provides, drugs, medical provides exterior of Gaza. They’re all ready to go in,” Touma added.
“The world can not proceed to look away.”
“1 in 10 youngsters screened by UNRWA in #Gaza is now malnourished,” UNRWA @JulietteTouma briefs the press at @UNGeneva.
Earlier than the conflict, such circumstances have been nearly exceptional.
Now, Gaza’s shattered well being system is overwhelmed — and support is being blocked by the Authorities of Israel.… pic.twitter.com/3b8S2qONef
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) July 15, 2025
Since January 2024, UNRWA mentioned it had screened greater than 240,000 girls and boys below the age of 5 in its clinics, including that earlier than the conflict, acute malnutrition was uncommon in Gaza.
Andee Clark Vaughan, an emergency nurse with the Palestinian Australian New Zealand Medical Affiliation (PANZMA) primarily based in Gaza, advised Al Jazeera on Wednesday how Israeli authorities had confiscated child method from medical employees getting into the territory.
“Immune techniques are so compromised right here due to the malnutrition,” Vaughan mentioned, describing how Palestinian moms are so malnourished that they’re unable to supply breast milk to feed their infants and compelled to make troublesome choices to maintain their youngsters alive.
“What we’ve been seeing right here is mothers making an attempt to do their utmost greatest, mixing water – which is usually contaminated – with beans or lentils simply to make one thing of sustenance to get these children fed and get them vitamins,” Vaughan added.
On Monday, UNICEF mentioned that final month, greater than 5,800 youngsters have been identified with malnutrition in Gaza, together with greater than 1,000 youngsters with extreme, acute malnutrition.
It mentioned it was a rise for the fourth month in a row.