‘Child survival crisis’ in Gaza, UNICEF official warns
Samir Elhawary, the acting deputy director of emergency programmes at UNICEF, says today’s famine declaration marks “a tragic and devastating milestone” for Palestinian children in Gaza.
“Within this humanitarian emergency in Gaza, there’s a real child survival crisis. We’re seeing malnutrition accelerating at a catastrophic pace. And for many – far too many – children, it’s already too late,” Elhawary said during the UN briefing in New York.
He said UNICEF has been warning for months that conditions were rapidly deteriorating in the Gaza Strip, pushing children into dangerous situations.
“The signs were unmistakable: children with wasted bodies, too weak to cry or to eat; babies dying of hunger and preventable disease, and parents arriving at clinics without enough food to feed their children,” Elhawary said.
“Today’s report confirms our worst fears, that children’s diets have collapsed, with basic nutrition out of reach for most. The consequences are immediate, with wasting, disease and in far too many cases, death.”
Fourteen-month-old Hazar Arfa receives treatment at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, August 15
UNRWA ‘needs to be put back on its feet’ to tackle Gaza famine
Chris Gunness, a former spokesperson for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), has stressed that today’s famine declaration comes after UNRWA was “deliberately dismantled”.
The agency’s Western donors, including the White House in particular, “stood by” and watched the agency be dismantled, Gunness told Al Jazeera. “UNRWA is the only organisation now that can really make an impact,” he said.
“They have a wide network of warehouses, of food distribution centres, of staff, of lists of refugees and people who are starving in Gaza,” Gunness explained.
“Only UNRWA can deal with this crisis. UNRWA needs to be legitimised once more … And if the crossings are opened as the head humanitarian in the UN has demanded, UNRWA needs to be put back on its feet and UNRWA needs to get on with its job.”
‘We cannot let famine become a death sentence for more of Gaza’s children’
“It’s important to emphasise that children are starving not because food doesn’t exist, but because aid cannot reach them in time,” Elhawary said.
He added that if access improves, the lives of Palestinian children can be saved. But they need:
- An immediate and sustained ceasefire
- Safe and unimpeded humanitarian access for the delivery of aid and commercial supplies
- Immediate actions to ensure their protection, safety and well-being
“This really is a race against time, against starvation, and every hour matters”, he said.
“Now, we must collectively act to protect the youngest victims of this conflict. Their survival ultimately depends on the political will to immediately avert what is a man-made crisis.”
