From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
UNRWA claims 1 in 10 children seen at its Gaza clinics is malnourished
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One in 10 children screened in clinics run by the United Nations refugee agency in Gaza since 2024 has been malnourished, the agency says.
“Our health teams are confirming that malnutrition rates are increasing in Gaza, especially since the siege was tightened more than four months ago on March 2,” UNRWA’s director of communications, Juliette Touma, tells reporters in Geneva via a video link from Amman, Jordan.
Since January 2024, UNRWA says it has screened more than 240,000 boys and girls 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,” Touma says. “Medicine, nutrition supplies, hygiene material, fuel are all rapidly running out.”
On May 19, Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza, allowing limited UN deliveries to resume. However, UNRWA continues to be banned by Israel from bringing aid into the enclave, after Israeli accusations that the organization employs and collaborates with Hamas members.
Israel is working on alternate methods for distributing aid in the Strip but has faced heavy criticism for its efforts.
The Times of Israel Community.