Israel has killed over 13,000 children in Gaza since the start of its “genocidal” war on October 7, while others are suffering from severe malnutrition to the extent that they do not “even have the energy to cry”, reported the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“Thousands more have been injured or we can’t even determine where they are. They may be stuck under rubble … We haven’t seen that rate of death among children in almost any other conflict in the world,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell told the media on March 17.
“I have been in wards of children who are suffering from severe anaemia malnutrition, the whole ward is absolutely quiet. Because the children, the babies … don’t even have the energy to cry,” Russell added.
Russell said there were huge “bureaucratic challenges” in transporting trucks into Gaza for aid and assistance, as famine looms over more than two million Palestinians facing relentless Israeli bombing for more than five months.
One in three children under 2 in Gaza acutely malnourished
According to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), 31% or one in three children under the age of two in northern Gaza are suffering from acute malnutrition. This compares with 15.6% in January.
Malnutrition among children is rapidly spreading in the besieged enclave and reaching devastating and unprecedented levels due to the far-reaching impacts of the war and Israel’s restrictions on aid delivery.
At least 23 children have reportedly succumbed to malnutrition and dehydration in recent weeks, further adding to the growing toll of children killed in the Strip during this ongoing conflict.
- Nutrition screenings conducted by UNICEF and partners in the north in February found 4.5% of children in shelters and health centers suffering from severe wasting, the most life-threatening form of malnutrition.
- Severe wasting puts children at the highest risk of medical complications and death unless they receive urgent therapeutic feeding and treatment, which is not available.
- The prevalence of acute malnutrition among children under 5 years of age in the north has risen from 13% to as high as 25%.
- Screenings in Khan Younis found 28% of children under 2 acutely malnourished, more than 10% of which have severe wasting.
“We are doing everything we can to avert a worsening of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but it is not enough,” said Russell. “An immediate humanitarian ceasefire continues to provide the only chance to save children’s lives and end their suffering.”
Famine imminent in Gaza
Famine is imminent in northern Gaza where 70% of the population are already suffering with catastrophic levels of hunger, a UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report.
All 2.2 million people in Gaza do not have enough food to eat, with half of the population on the brink of starvation and famine projected to arrive in the northern Gaza. The report warned of a “major acceleration of death and malnutrition.”
This is the “the highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger ever recorded… anywhere, anytime,” by the IPC, said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Israel’s PM vows to continue war
Israel faces mounting international criticism due to the escalating death toll of the war, the severe starvation crisis in Gaza, and accusations of obstructing aid deliveries into the region.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war against Gaza despite the criticism.
“No amount of international pressure will stop us from realizing all the goals of the war: eliminating Hamas, releasing all our hostages and ensuring that Gaza will no longer pose a threat against Israel,” Netanyahu said in a video released by his office. “To do this, we will also operate in Rafah,” he said.
More than a million Palestinians have taken refuge in Rafah, the town bordering Egypt.
Since October 7, at least 31,645 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli airstrikes while nearly two million have been displaced. The causalities include mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
