Malnutrition rates are escalating in Gaza, threatening to inflict lasting damage on an entire generation, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Rik Peeperkorn, WHO’s representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, warned on Tuesday that a blockade imposed by Israel since early March, coinciding with the resumption of its military campaign against Hamas, has severely restricted the flow of essential supplies into the enclave. A global hunger monitor warned on Monday that half a million people in Gaza are facing starvation.
Peeperkorn described seeing children in clinics who appeared significantly younger than their actual age and reported that 11% of children screened at a hospital in northern Gaza were suffering from acute malnutrition.
“What we see is an increasing trend in generalised acute malnutrition,” Peeperkorn stated during a video briefing from Deir al-Balah. “I’ve seen a child that’s five years old, and you would say it was two-and-a-half.”
“Without enough nutritious food, clean water and access to healthcare, an entire generation will be permanently affected,” he cautioned, highlighting the risks of stunting and impaired cognitive development.
Israel has consistently accused Hamas of exacerbating the hunger crisis by diverting aid intended for civilians, an allegation Hamas denies.
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Peeperkorn noted that the WHO’s limited supplies are only sufficient to treat 500 children with acute malnutrition, a fraction of the actual need, due to the ongoing blockade.
Citing figures from the Gaza Health Ministry, Peeperkorn reported that 55 children have already died from acute malnutrition.
He also described seeing numerous children in hospitals suffering from illnesses such as gastroenteritis and pneumonia, which, due to weakened immune systems resulting from hunger, could prove fatal.
“You normally don’t die from starvation. You die from the diseases associated to that,” he explained.
