Unicef warns of rising disease outbreak risk among children in Gaza
The UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) has warned of an increasing risk of disease outbreaks among children in the Gaza Strip as worsening weather conditions and shortages of essential supplies deepen the humanitarian crisis.
In a statement on Saturday, Unicef said severe winter weather, combined with delays in the delivery of aid, is placing children at heightened risk and threatening their safety and health. The agency called for an urgent scale-up of humanitarian assistance, particularly winter clothing, tents and other shelter materials.
Unicef stressed that large quantities of humanitarian supplies currently stockpiled at Gaza’s border must be allowed to enter the territory safely, rapidly and without obstruction to prevent further deterioration of living conditions.
According to Unicef nutrition assessments conducted with partners in November, around 9,300 children under the age of five in Gaza are suffering from acute malnutrition, increasing their vulnerability to illness.
Images from central Gaza show displaced families sheltering in flooded tent camps amid heavy rain, highlighting the harsh conditions facing thousands of civilians, especially children.
Unicef reiterated its call for unrestricted humanitarian access, warning that without swift action, preventable diseases could spread rapidly among Gaza’s most vulnerable populations.
