James Elder, spokesperson for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), stated that Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip are enduring severe hardship just to secure one daily meal for their children, noting that “the amount of bombs and missiles entering Gaza far exceeds the amount of food.”
اضافة اعلان
According to the official website of the UN agency, Elder added that the situation is worsening day by day due to the ongoing blockade and continued Israeli attacks, describing the humanitarian conditions in the Strip as “bleak, horrific, and heartbreaking.”
He pointed out that the hopes raised by talk of a ceasefire in Gaza were briefly lifted, as the area witnessed a partial inflow of aid and slight improvements in water and food supplies. However, this optimism quickly faded as the Strip faced a catastrophic blockade on humanitarian assistance.
Elder explained that “Gaza’s residents endure harsh nights under bombardment and spend their days fleeing from hunger and explosions,” stressing that “everything we thought we knew about human resilience has completely shattered.”
He said that many families have been living in tents for six months, under tank fire, and are now being forced to relocate once again, noting that Gaza has been facing this tragic reality for over 600 days.
He emphasized that families in Gaza have not celebrated Eid al-Adha for two consecutive years and that mothers often go two days without eating in order to provide a single meal for their children.
Elder noted that estimating the number of children dying from hunger on a daily or weekly basis is extremely difficult under such conditions. However, he stressed that children suffering from malnutrition are dying from simple, treatable causes.
The spokesperson added that acute malnutrition increases the likelihood of a child dying from basic issues—such as food shortages, contaminated water, and the lack of essential healthcare—by tenfold. He warned that reaching hospitals is no longer safe for sick or malnourished children, and that the hospitals themselves lack basic medical supplies.
It is worth noting that only 19 hospitals are currently operating partially in Gaza, in addition to 9 functioning field hospitals.
