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SvennoJ on 06 June 2025
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UN warns of surge in acute malnutrition among Gaza’s young children

More than 2,700 children below the age of five in Gaza have been diagnosed with acute malnutrition, marking a steep increase in the number of children suffering from the serious medical condition since screening in February, the United Nations reports.

Of almost 47,000 under-fives screened for malnutrition in the second half of May, 5.8 percent (or 2,733 children) were found to be suffering from acute malnutrition, “almost triple the proportion of children diagnosed with malnutrition” three months earlier, the UN’s humanitarian office says.

The number of children with severe acute malnutrition, requiring admission to hospital, almost doubled in May compared with earlier months.

Meanwhile, Israel continues to allow only a trickle of aid into Gaza, and its distribution scheme has proved fatal or extremely dangerous for hundreds of Palestinians, shot by Israeli troops as they attempted to collect food.

Soap almost impossible to find in Gaza, UNRWA says

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has said that while soap is taken for granted in households around the world, it has become “almost impossible” to find in Gaza, where little aid has been let through since Israel imposed a total blockade on March 2.

“A regular flow of basic hygiene supplies, including soap, shampoo, sanitary pads is needed,” UNRWA said on X. “The siege must be lifted and aid must flow at scale to people who need it most in Gaza.”

It added that aid delivery can only be done through the UN mechanism that includes UNRWA, which has been banned from operating by Israel following unsubstantiated accusations of involvement in the attacks on October 7, 2023.