One in 10 children screened in UNRWA clinics malnourished: UNRWA
GENEVA (WAM)The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) warned on Tuesday of rising malnutrition rates among children in the Gaza Strip, confirming that one in every 10 children is currently malnourished, according to data from its clinics and medical points across the strip.During a press briefing in Geneva, UNRWA's Director of Communications Juliette Touma said malnutrition rates have increased in Gaza, especially since the siege tightened four months ago, adding that UNRWA health teams have screened over 240,000 boys and girls across the Gaza Strip since January 2024.Touma warned that therapeutic supplies to combat malnutrition among children are almost non-existent as UNRWA is facing severe shortages in medicines, nutritional supplies, fuel and hygiene materials, confirming that the agency ran out of food stocks late April.She noted that nearly 60 per cent of essential medicines have depleted from UNRWA's warehouses since Israeli forces banned the agency from bringing in any humanitarian aid, including food and medicines, on March 2.On the Israeli aggression on the occupied West Bank, Touma described it as a silent war that continues to escalate in parallel with what is happening in Gaza, particularly amid severe restrictions on freedom of movement, imposed by the Israeli forces, rising poverty and unemployment due to loss of livelihoods.
Touma stressed that despite these challenges, UNRWA continues its operations across the occupied Palestinian territory through a 14,000-strong local workforce, delivering essential services, particularly in the fields of healthcare and education, to Palestinian refugees and others in need.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Today
5 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Over 30 Palestinians killed trying to reach US group's food aid centres
Israeli troops opened fire on Saturday toward crowds of Palestinians seeking food from distribution hubs run by a US-Israeli-backed group in southern Gaza, killing at least 32 people, according to witnesses and hospital officials. The two incidents occurred near hubs operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The organisation launched operations in late May with backing from the US and Israel. The two governments are seeking to replace the traditional UN-led aid distribution system in Gaza, saying that Hamas siphons off supplies. The UN denies the allegation. While the GHF says it has distributed millions of meals to hungry Palestinians, local health officials and witnesses say that hundreds of people have been killed by Israeli army fire as they try to reach the distribution hubs. The army, which is not at the sites but secures them from a distance, says it only fires warning shots if crowds get too close to its forces. The GHF, which employs private armed guards, says there have been no deadly shootings at its sites, though this week, 20 people were killed at one of its locations, most of them in a stampede. The group accused Hamas agitators of causing a panic, but gave no evidence to back the claim. Relatives of Palestinians killed at an aid distribution centre run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation mourn over their bodies during their funeral at Nasser Hospital. Associated Press The army and GHF did not immediately comment on Saturday's violence. Most of Saturday's deaths occurred as Palestinians massed in the Teina area, around three kilometres (2 miles) away from a GHF aid distribution centre east of the city of Khan Younis. 'It was a massacre' Mahmoud Mokeimar, an eyewitness, said he was walking with masses of people – mostly young men – toward the food hub. Troops fired warning shots as the crowds advanced, before opening fire toward the marching people. "It was a massacre ... the occupation opened fire at us indiscriminately," he said. He said he managed to flee but saw at least three motionless bodies lying on the ground, and many other wounded fleeing. Akram Aker, another witness, said troops fired machine guns mounted on tanks and drones. He said the shooting happened between 5am and 6am. "They encircled us and started firing directly at us," he said. He said he saw many casualties lying on the ground. Sanaa al-Jaberi, a 55-year-old woman, said she saw many dead and wounded as she fled the area. "We shouted: 'food, food,' but they didn't talk to us. They just opened fire," she said. Monzer Fesifes, a Palestinian-Jordanian, said his 19-year-old son Hisham was among those killed in the Teina area. "He went to bring food from the failed US, Zionist aid to feed us," the father of six said, pleading for the Jordanian government to help evacuate them from the Palestinian enclave. The Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said it received 25 bodies, along with dozens wounded. Seven other people, including one woman, were killed in the Shakoush area, hundreds of metres north of another GHF hub in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, the hospital said. The toll was also confirmed by the health ministry. Most 'shot in the head, chest' Dr. Mohamed Saker, the head of Nasser's nursing department, said it received 70 wounded people. He told The Associated Press that most of the casualties were shot in their heads and chests, and that some were placed in the already overwhelmed intensive care unit. "The situation is difficult and tragic," he said, adding that the facility lacks badly needed medical supplies to treat the daily flow of casualties. Gaza's more than 2 million Palestinians are living through a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, and the territory is teetering on the edge of famine, according to food security experts. Distribution at the GHF sites has often been chaotic. Boxes of food are left stacked on the ground inside the centres and, once opened, crowds charge in to grab whatever they can, according to witnesses and videos released by GHF itself. In videos obtained recently by the AP from an American contractor working with GHF, contractors are seen using tear gas and stun grenades to keep crowds behind metal fences or to force them to disperse. Gunshots can also be heard. Associated Press
Middle East Eye
17 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Israeli army says two soldiers injured in southern Gaza
The Israeli military said on Saturday that two of its personnel have been injured in 'a battle in the southern Gaza Strip'. No more details were mentioned about the fighting. The pair were taken to hospital for treatment, said the Israeli army.
Al Etihad
21 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Emirates Mobile Heart Clinics launch campaign for early detection of cardiovascular diseases in Pakistan
19 July 2025 18:53 SINDH (WAM) Celebrating the Union Pledge Day, the Emirates Mobile Heart Clinics have launched a campaign for the early detection of cardiovascular diseases in rural Pakistani initiative aims to deliver top-quality diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive services for the elderly, women, and children. It is conducted under the supervision of Emirati and Pakistani doctors affiliated with the UAE's Young Humanitarian Leaders Programme, and continues the UAE's broader humanitarian efforts mobile clinics operate within an integrated field system led by specialised medical teams that include cardiologists, pediatricians, family medicine doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and lab technicians. All medical consultations and medications are provided free of project continues a 25-year journey of Emirati voluntary medical work in Pakistan, within the framework of the UAE-Pakistan Field Clinics. More than one million patients have benefited from these services, which are jointly supervised by Emirati and Pakistani medical initiative is a collaborative effort between Zayed Giving Initiative, Sharjah Charity House, UAE Community Mobile Clinics, and the UAE Young Humanitarian Leaders Programme. It represents an innovative model of cooperation among governmental, private, and non-profit sectors in community medical Adel Al Shamry, CEO of the Zayed Giving Initiative, stated that the intensification of mobile clinic operations aligns with the "Year of Community" and aims to attract and train medical personnel to enable them to serve underprivileged Al Khayyal, Secretary-General of Sharjah Charity House, said that the 2025 plan will reach over 20 Pakistani villages under a sustainable operational Juri Al Ajmi, Director of the UAE Young Humanitarian Leaders Programme, stated that efforts are underway to expand the geographical coverage of the clinics and field hospital to reach the widest possible number of villages, in collaboration with local of the Pakistani villages expressed their gratitude for the UAE's efforts in providing free healthcare services. They praised the high quality of care that helped alleviate their suffering, and affirmed that the initiative embodies the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who always extended a helping hand to those in need.
