ISTANBUL
One in five children in Gaza is born premature or underweight, a consequence of the prolonged, systematic Israeli siege of the Palestinian territory over the past two years, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Monday.
“This week, UNICEF delivered urgently needed hygiene supplies to hospitals and health centres in Gaza City, but babies need more access to life-saving nutrition and health services,” the UN agency said in a post on the US social media company X.
“One in five babies in the Gaza Strip is born prematurely or underweight,” it added.
The organization renewed its call for the immediate delivery of large-scale aid for children, infants, and families in Gaza, alongside a ceasefire in the territory, which has been subjected to a severe blockade and deliberate starvation for months.
The Israeli-imposed siege has triggered an unprecedented famine, claiming the lives of 422 people, including 147 children, despite repeated international appeals to lift the blockade and allow aid access.
Last month, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification declared famine in Gaza City, warning that it could spread to other areas of the territory.
Since March 2, Israel has tightened the blockade by closing all crossings into Gaza, preventing the entry of food, medicine, or humanitarian aid, pushing the enclave toward famine despite aid trucks accumulating at the border.
Limited aid is occasionally allowed, but it is insufficient to meet basic needs, and many aid trucks, according to Gaza authorities, are looted en route by gangs allegedly protected by Israel.
The Israeli army has killed over 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.