In July, nearly 12,000 children under the age of five were identified as having an intensively malnourished out of 136,000 projected, according to aid partners.
Among these, more than 2,500 suffered from acute serious malnutrition, the most deadly form and 40 had to be hospitalized in stabilization centers.
More affected children
The proportion of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition increases, Ochha said.
In June and July, 18% of all children with acute malnutrition suffered from severe acute malnutrition, compared to 12% between March and May.
In addition, humanitarian access constraints add to the crisis.
Last month, aid partners could only reach 8,700 of the 290,000 children under the age of five who need food and nutrition supplements due to the serious shortage of lipid nutrient supplements entering Gaza.
OCHA said development “marks a spectacular collapse in the malnutrition prevention program”, noting that an average of 76,000 children – or a quarter of people in need – has been reached each month between April and June.
The distribution of other key nutritional supplies has also decreased sharply, which affects children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.
The refuge crisis is worsening
Meanwhile, no shelter has entered Gaza since March 2.
At the same time, more than a million shelter articles and 2.3 million items such as tents, tarpaulins and waterproofing materials have been purchased and are currently stuck in Jordan and Egypt, because the Israeli authorities have not approved their entry.
The refuge crisis continues to worsen, most families living in severely overcrowded and dangerous conditions. Some have no shelters.
In July, humanitarian workers estimated 44 travel sites, discovering that 43 had homeless families.
A family rests after having evacuated Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip. (deposit)
Bombardment and displacement continue
The situation is still deteriorating due to the undergoing bombing, travel and insecurity orders, which continue to move families and disrupt humanitarian operations.
The OCHA reported that on the whole, the realities on the ground remain largely the same since Israel has announced a “tactical break” in military operations to allow the safe passage of aid.
The United Nations agency has reiterated that the supplies that have entered remain insufficient given the immense needs, while UN convoys continue to deal with challenges in the supply of aid.
Help missions taking hours
While fewer humanitarian movements have been refused, the missions which are approved still take hours, some taking more than 18 hours.
On Wednesday, five of the 11 missions requiring coordination with the Israeli authorities were facilitated. These included food collection with Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings.
Four other missions were hampered but ultimately complete, which included the fuel collection of Kerem Shalom Crossing and the fuel transfer from the south of Gaza to the north.
Medical evacuation update
One of the missions has seen the medical evacuation of 15 children in Jordan and 42 companions, withsupportof the World Health Organization (WHO). However, more than 14,800 Gaza patients still need specialized medical care.
OCHA has also pointed out the flow of commercial products in the band, noting that several trucks carrying food has entered in recent days.
While the UN will continue to monitor the situation, humanitarian workers have again highlighted the need for unhindered and predictable humanitarian access to and inside Gaza, warning that “without it, time and resources are wasted, lives are lost and the response cannot correspond to the need for needs”.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
