Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), reported that child malnutrition in Gaza has tripled in less than six months.
He emphasized that this crisis is not the result of a natural disaster but a deliberate act of deprivation. “This is man-made starvation,” he said, describing it as entirely preventable.
Lazzarini condemned the ongoing obstruction of humanitarian aid, noting that relief organizations have been barred from delivering essential supplies to Gaza for over six months.
UNRWA medical teams have screened nearly 100,000 children under the age of five since March. The results reveal a sharp rise in acute malnutrition, with increasing numbers of children suffering from wasting and stunted growth due to prolonged food shortages and lack of medical care.
He called for the immediate and unrestricted passage of life-saving aid through UNRWA and other humanitarian channels, warning that continued restrictions risk deepening the crisis and claiming more young lives.
In related developments, the United Nations has called for an immediate halt to the escalating attacks on humanitarian personnel, particularly in Gaza.
A UN spokesperson condemned the unprecedented violence targeting aid workers and those supporting relief efforts, stressing that such assaults must not be ignored by the international community.
The statement urged global leaders to demonstrate the political will necessary to end the conflict and alleviate the suffering of civilians trapped in its wake.
This appeal comes amid mounting evidence of systematic targeting of humanitarian teams, with Gaza now considered the deadliest zone for aid workers worldwide. The UN reiterated that protecting humanitarian personnel is a binding obligation under international law—not a discretionary act.
On Wednesday, Israeli forces killed at least 76 Palestinians, including 27 who were seeking humanitarian aid. Three more Palestinians died from starvation due to the lack of food, nutrition, and medicine in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 62,122 Palestinians and injured more than 156,758—most of them women and children—across the devastated, starved, and besieged Gaza Strip.
