Entire generation in Gaza at risk of malnutrition, UNRWA warns

Adnan Abu Hasna, the media advisor for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), warned Thursday of a serious deterioration in the health conditions in the Gaza Strip.

Abu Hasna said in a television interview that most newborns in the sector suffer from underweight and stunted growth due to severe malnutrition affecting the population for months, indicating that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached unprecedented levels.

He emphasised that “the real solution begins with a ceasefire, as this humanitarian disaster cannot be addressed amidst ongoing war.”

He added that hundreds of trucks loaded with humanitarian aid have to enter daily, but security obstacles and Israeli procedures prevent their entry, stressing that Israel has to immediately provide safe passages for relief trucks.

He stressed that the aid that arrives must be transferred to United Nations warehouses for organised and fair distribution to the population, warning that random distribution or hindering the humanitarian process exacerbates daily suffering.

Abu Hasna revealed that water desalination stations in Gaza are either destroyed or non-operational, leading to widespread water pollution and the spread of diseases among the population, especially children.

He said that the situation in Gaza can no longer tolerate further delays, pointing out that “a whole generation are at risk health-wise and psychologically, and if the world does not act now, the disaster will be deeper than we imagine”.

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