Israel has mandated further evacuations from specific locales in Gaza City this Tuesday, coinciding with a distressing revelation from a U.N.-led study. The investigation highlights a grim reality where approximately one in every six children in the northern parts of Gaza, an area already marred by devastation, suffers from acute malnutrition.
This U.N. children’s agency-led report sheds light on the escalating hardship throughout the territory, exacerbated by Israel’s military endeavours, initiated as a countermeasure to an attack by Hamas on October 7. The conflict has resulted in over 29,000 Palestinian fatalities, the obliteration of entire neighbourhoods, and the displacement of more than 80% of Gaza’s populace.
In a significant move, Israel has pledged to broaden its military operations to encompass Rafah, the Gaza Strip’s southernmost city. This area has become a refuge for a substantial portion of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants, fleeing the turmoil in other regions. Many have found themselves in densely populated tent camps and U.N.-administered shelters adjacent to the Egyptian frontier.
Efforts to mediate another ceasefire and secure a hostage release agreement are underway, with the United States, Israel’s principal ally, collaborating with Egypt and Qatar. Despite these diplomatic endeavours, the visit of Hamas’ leading political figure, Ismail Haniyeh, to Cairo for discussions with Egyptian officials yielded only a few optimistic outcomes.
The Israeli military’s recent evacuation orders for the Zaytoun and Turkoman neighbourhoods, situated on Gaza City’s southern fringe, hint at the ongoing resistance by Palestinian militants in the northern sectors, which Israel claims to have substantially cleared in previous weeks.
The situation has been described as “very difficult” by Ayman Abu Awad, a resident of Zaytoun, who stated, “We are trapped inside our homes” amidst the backdrop of airstrikes and intense ground confrontations in eastern parts of Gaza City over the last couple of days.
The report by the Global Nutrition Cluster, steered by UNICEF, presents a dire picture, with more than 90% of children under 5 in Gaza consuming less than two food groups daily, indicating severe food scarcity. The same percentage are grappling with infectious diseases, with a significant portion suffering from diarrhea recently.
An alarming rate of acute malnutrition, standing at 5% in Rafah and soaring to 15% in northern Gaza, contrasts starkly with the less than 1% rate across Gaza before the conflict. UNICEF official Ted Chaiban warned of a potential “explosion” in preventable child deaths, adding to the already staggering child mortality rates in Gaza.
As the conflict shows no sign of abating, with Israel intensifying its military campaign in response to Hamas-led incursions, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens. With over 29,195 Palestinians reported dead and more than 69,000 injured, the international community’s call for peace and humanitarian aid grows more urgent by the day.
