UNICEF has cautioned that, while global attention is directed elsewhere, the situation in Gaza is “worse than it has ever been,” with the Palestinian territory reaching “rock bottom.”
The UN agency reported that the number of aid distribution points in Gaza has plummeted from 400 to just four.
With over two million residents suffering from famine-like conditions, rights groups indicate that Israel has blocked all supplies from early March until the end of May while continuing to impose restrictions.
Rosalia Bollen, UNICEF Communications Specialist for Children in Gaza, stated that hospitals are overwhelmed, facing an influx of injured individuals, along with severe shortages of medicine and medical supplies.
She noted that gunfire and the cries of people can be heard near aid distribution centers.
According to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, over 500 individuals have been killed and nearly 3,800 injured by Israeli fire while seeking assistance since the beginning of last month, with aid provided by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Yesterday, pressure intensified on the privately operated aid initiative established at the end of May to replace UN agencies, which has faced turmoil and concerns over neutrality.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, condemned the US- and Israeli-backed system as an “abomination” that jeopardizes Palestinian lives, while Thameen Al-Kheetan, a spokesman for the UN human rights office, denounced the “weaponization of food” in the region.
This morning, Gaza’s civil defense agency reported that Israeli fire claimed the lives of at least 20 people, including six who were waiting for food aid.
‘Hungry, thirsty, and exhausted’
“Every child is hungry, thirsty, and exhausted,” Ms. Bollen remarked, adding that with soaring temperatures, there is insufficient clean water for sanitation, leading to the spread of disease across Gaza.
She mentioned that overflowing sewage is rampant in the streets as pumping stations lack the necessary fuel to function.
“It’s truly a man-made catastrophe unfolding before our eyes,” she added.
UNICEF warned that children are beginning to die of thirst in Gaza, as the fuel needed for trucks to distribute water has not been allowed in.
Palestinians receive food from a hot meal distribution kitchen in Rafa’s al-Mawasi area in the southern Gaza Strip on 22 June.
Child malnutrition throughout Gaza
The number of malnourished children in Gaza is escalating at an alarming rate, with 5,119 children aged between six months and five years admitted for treatment of acute malnutrition in May alone, as stated by UNICEF last week.
The ongoing conflict has damaged or destroyed vital water, sanitation, and health systems in Gaza, hindering the treatment of severe malnutrition, with only 127 functional treatment centers out of 236, due to ongoing displacement and relentless bombardments.
In a recent report, UNICEF noted that among the 5,119 children admitted for acute malnutrition last year, 636 were suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), the deadliest form of malnutrition.
“These children require regular, supervised treatment, safe water, and medical care to survive—all of which are becoming increasingly scarce in Gaza today,” UNICEF asserted.
A boy smiles as people transport water in Rafa’s al-Mawasi area in southern Gaza on 22 June.
UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edouard Beigbeder, stated: “Every one of these cases is preventable. The food, water, and nutritional treatments they urgently need are being blocked from reaching them.”
“Man-made decisions are costing lives. Israel must urgently permit the large-scale delivery of life-saving aid through all border crossings,” he added.
UNICEF also warned that the supply of Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic-Food (RUTF), a crucial necessity for children experiencing acute levels of malnutrition, is “critically low.”
‘Focus to shift to Gaza’
Children are seated amid the rubble after an Israeli airstrike targeted a home in Gaza on 24 June.
Following the announcement of a truce in the 12-day Iran-Israel conflict, Israel’s military chief Eyal Zamir stated that Israel’s focus will “now shift back to Gaza.”
The Israeli opposition, the Palestinian Authority, and the main organization representing the families of Israeli hostages all advocated for a Gaza truce to complement the Iran ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meeting Donald Trump in The Hague yesterday, praised the Iran-Israel ceasefire while stressing that Ankara and Washington must collaborate to “end the war in Gaza.”
Soldiers killed in Gaza overnight
Israel’s army reported that seven of its soldiers were killed in combat in Gaza, where the conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas continues.
The army’s website named five soldiers and a platoon commander from the same battalion who “fell during combat in the southern Gaza Strip.”
A seventh soldier was also confirmed dead; however, his family had not provided permission to disclose his name.
More than 430 Israeli soldiers have died in the conflict triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
This attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 individuals, primarily civilians.
Moreover, militants took 251 hostages, of which 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 that the Israeli military claims are deceased.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has led to at least 56,077 fatalities, again primarily civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry. The United Nations regards these figures as reliable.
