Gaza war: One million children are starving, UN agency issues grave warning

Khaleej Times

22-07-2025

Heart-wrenching images of starving children holding empty pots while waiting for food aid have captured global attention, sparking outrage and sorrow.
As these powerful images continue to circulate globally, humanitarian organisations and international agencies are sounding daily alarms about an intensifying, looming famine crisis.
Most recently, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) issued a grave warning, accusing Israeli authorities of deliberately starving civilians in the besieged Palestinian enclave — including one million children.
The agency called on Israel to lift the seige to allow it to bring food and medicine.
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Increasing malnutrition rates
In a recent report, the UNRWA said that one in 10 children screened in clinics run by the agency in Gaza since 2024 has been malnourished.
"Our health teams are confirming that malnutrition rates are increasing in Gaza, especially since the siege was tightened more than four months ago on the second of March," UNRWA's Director of Communications, Juliette Touma, told reporters in Geneva via a video link from Amman, Jordan.
Since January 2024, UNRWA said it had screened more than 240,000 boys and girls under the age of five in its clinics, adding that before the war, acute malnutrition was rarely seen in the Gaza Strip.
"One nurse that we spoke to told us that in the past, he only saw these cases of malnutrition in textbooks and documentaries," Touma said.
"Medicine, nutrition supplies, hygiene material, fuel are all rapidly running out," Touma said.
On Tuesday, it issued another warning of severe hunger in Gaza. Take a look:
People in #Gaza, including UNRWA colleagues, are fainting due to severe hunger. They are being starved.
Meanwhile, just a few kilometers away from Gaza supermarkets and shops are loaded with food and other goods.
Lift the siege.
Allow UNRWA to bring in food and medicines. pic.twitter.com/fnoKhI5NNh
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) July 22, 2025
Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza in May, allowing limited UN deliveries to resume. However, UNRWA continues to be banned from bringing aid into the enclave.
On Monday, Britain and 24 Western allies, including Australia, Canada, France and Italy, said in a joint statement the war in Gaza "must end now", arguing civilians' suffering had "reached new depths".
"We urge the parties and the international community to unite in a common effort to bring this terrible conflict to an end, through an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire," the grouping added in the communique.
Accusations to Hamas
COGAT, the Israeli military aid coordination agency, said that it has helped facilitate 67,000 food trucks to enter Gaza, delivering 1.5 million tons of food, including infant formula and baby food.
It said that about 2,000 tons of baby food have been brought into Gaza through the crossings in recent weeks, following requests by international aid organisations.
Israel and the United States have accused Palestinian militant group Hamas of stealing from UN-led aid operations, which Hamas denies. They have instead set up the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, using private US security and logistics firms to transport aid to distribution hubs, which the UN has refused to work with.
UNICEF said that more than 5,800 children were diagnosed with malnutrition in Gaza last month, including more than 1,000 children with severe, acute malnutrition. It said it was an increase for the fourth month in a row.