UNICEF Warns of Rising Disease Outbreaks Among Children in Gaza
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Saturday of growing risk of disease outbreaks among children in the Gaza Strip, calling for an urgent need to accelerate the entry of humanitarian aid, particularly winter clothing and tents, amid harsh weather conditions.
In a statement on its official website, the organization said that the current situation poses escalating threats on children’s safety as severe weather continues and the delivery of essential supplies remain delayed.
UNICEF urged that humanitarian aid, including the large quantities of winter supplies currently stockpiled at the Gaza border, to be allowed into the Strip safely, quickly, and without obstruction.
Nutrition assessments conducted by UNICEF and its partners in Gaza during November revealed that 9,300 children under the age of five in the Strip are suffering from acute malnutrition.
On Friday, the UN General Assembly adopted a draft resolution demanding that “Israel” allow full humanitarian access into the Gaza Strip.
The resolution, submitted by Norway and more than 12 other states, received support from 139 countries, with 12 voting against and 19 abstaining.
“As stated by the secretary-general, this is in clear violation of Israel’s obligations to respect the inviolability of United Nations premises,” Norway’s Permanent Representative Ambassador Merete Fjeld Brattested said, urging all member states to back the resolution.
