Palestinian children face starvation under Israel's total Gaza blockade
Thousands of Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip are facing an increased threat of starvation, the United Nations has warned, as Israel's continued blockade of food, water and other critical supplies to the besieged and bombarded coastal territory enters its third month.
The UN's child rights agency (UNICEF) said on Friday that more than 9,000 children had been admitted for treatment for acute malnutrition since the start of the year.
But the situation has worsened since Israel imposed a total blockade on the Palestinian enclave in early March.
'For two months, children in the Gaza Strip have faced relentless bombardments while being deprived of essential goods, services and lifesaving care,' UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement.
'With each passing day of the aid blockade, they face the growing risk of starvation, illness and death – nothing can justify this.'
Israel has blocked all humanitarian assistance from reaching Palestinians in Gaza since March 2, spurring international condemnation.
The UN's World Food Programme said last week that its food supplies had been 'depleted' amid the siege, warning that community kitchens upon which thousands of Palestinians rely would be forced to close.'We don't ask if food is nutritious or not, if it's fresh or good; that's a luxury, we just want to fill the stomachs of our children,' a displaced Palestinian parent recently told Amnesty International about the crisis. 'I don't want my child to die hungry.'
The Israeli government has said its blockade is intended to put pressure on Palestinian group Hamas to release captives held in Gaza. But it has not led to any more releases since the fleeting ceasefire earlier this year, which saw Palestinian prisoners exchanged for Israeli captives.
Meanwhile, Hamas official Abdel Rahman Shadid on Friday accused Israel of using starvation as a 'deliberate weapon of war' against Palestinians.
'Children are dying from the lack of milk, not just from bombs,' Shadid said in a statement published on the group's Telegram channel.
Legal experts and human rights groups have noted that, as an occupying power, Israel has an obligation under international law to provide food and other assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
They have condemned the blockade as a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians of all ages are experiencing high levels of food insecurity in Gaza, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system, a global hunger watchdog.
Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network, told Al Jazeera that the situation is worsening quickly as health facilities lack the supplies needed to treat children grappling with malnutrition.
'We have no food supplies or supplementary materials or medications for these children,' Shawa told Al Jazeera from Gaza City. 'There is high concern that we will witness more casualties in the coming few days,' he added.At Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, in northern Gaza, Dr Ahmed Abu Nasir said the situation has become worse than ever due to the blockade.
'Children are in their growing stage and badly need certain nutrients, including proteins and fats,' the paediatrician told Al Jazeera. 'These are not available in the Gaza Strip, particularly in the north.'
More than 52,400 Palestinians have been killed since Israel's war on Gaza began in October 2023, according to figures from the Gaza Health Ministry.
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San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Palestinians say Israel and its allies fired on crowd near Gaza aid site. Hospital says 6 killed
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians say Israeli forces and allied local gunmen fired toward a crowd heading to an Israeli- and U.S.-supported food distribution center in the Gaza Strip early Monday. Gaza's Health Ministry said six people were killed. The gunmen appeared to be allied with the Israeli military, operating in close proximity to troops and retreating into an Israeli military zone in the southern city of Rafah after the crowd hurled stones at them, witnesses said. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel recently acknowledged supporting local armed groups opposed to Hamas. The latest in a string of shootings It was the latest in a number of shootings that have killed at least 127 people and wounded hundreds since the rollout of a new food distribution system, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Israel and the United States say the new system is designed to circumvent Hamas, but it has been rejected by the U.N. and major aid groups. Experts have meanwhile warned that Israel's blockade and its ongoing military campaign have put Gaza at risk of famine. Palestinians say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired toward crowds heading to the food centers since they opened last month. In previous instances, the Israeli military has said it fired warning shots at people who approached its forces near the centers, which are in military zones off limits to independent media. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the Israeli- and U.S.-supported private contractor running the sites, says there has been no violence in or around the centers themselves. But GHF repeatedly warns would-be food recipients that stepping off the road designated by the military for people to reach the centers represents 'a great danger.' It paused delivery at its three distribution sites last week to hold discussions with the military about improving safety on the routes. GHF closed the Rafah site on Monday due to the 'chaos of the crowds,' according to a Facebook site associated with the group. A GHF spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Heba Joda, who was in the crowd Monday, said gunfire broke out at a roundabout where previous shootings have occurred, around a kilometer (half a mile) from the aid site. She said the shots came from the 'dangerous zone' where Israeli troops and their allies are stationed. She said she saw men from a local militia led by Yasser Abu Shabab trying to organize the crowds into lines on the road. When people pushed forward, the gunmen opened fire. People then hurled stones at them, forcing them to withdraw toward the Israeli positions, she said. The Abu Shabab group, which calls itself the Popular Forces, says it is guarding the surroundings of the GHF centers in southern Gaza. Aid workers say it has a long history of looting U.N. aid trucks. GHF has said it does not work with the Abu Shabab group. Hussein Shamimi, who was also in the crowd, said his 14-year-old cousin was among those killed. 'There was an ambush … the Israelis from one side and Abu Shabab from another,' he said. Mohamed Kabaga, a Palestinian displaced from northern Gaza, said he saw masked men firing toward the crowds after trying to organize them. 'They fired at us directly,' he said while being treated at Nasser Hospital, in the nearby city of Khan Younis. He had been shot in the neck, as were three other people seen by an Associated Press journalist at the hospital. Kabaga said he saw around 50 masked men with 4x4 vehicles in the area around the roundabout, close to Israeli military lines. "We didn't receive anything,' he said. 'They shot us.' Nasser Hospital said several men had been shot in the upper body, including some in the head. Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Health Ministry's records department, said six people were killed and more than 99 wounded, some of them at another GHF center in central Gaza. A new aid system marred by controversy and violence Israel has demanded GHF replace the U.N.-run system that has distributed food, medicine and other supplies to Palestinians since the war began. Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid and using it to fund militant activities, but U.N. officials say there is no evidence of any systematic diversion. The U.N. and other humanitarian groups have rejected the GHF system. It says the mechanism is incapable of meeting Gaza's huge demands and that it is being used for Israel's military purposes, including its goal to move Gaza's entire population of more than 2 million people to the south of the territory around the food centers. Throughout the war, the U.N.-led network has delivered supplies at hundreds of distribution points around Gaza, meaning large crowds haven't had to trek for hours past Israeli troops to receive aid. Israel sealed off Gaza from all food, medicine and fuel at the beginning of March, shortly before it ended a ceasefire with Hamas. It began allowing small amounts of aid in last month, but U.N. agencies say they have struggled to deliver it because of Israeli restrictions, the breakdown of law and order and widespread looting. The 20-month war rages on The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They are still holding 55 hostages, more than half of them believed to be dead, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed over 54,900 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up most of the dead. It does not say how many of those killed were civilians or combatants. The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced some 90% of the population and left the territory almost completely reliant on international aid. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Israel says it will continue the war until all the captives are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that even then, Israel will maintain open-ended control over Gaza and facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its population to other countries, a plan rejected by most of the international community, including the Palestinians, who view it as a blueprint for their forcible expulsion. ___ Magdy reported from Cairo. ___
Forbes
5 hours ago
- Forbes
Digital Health Solutions For Non-Communicable Disease Care In Zimbabwe
Village Health Workers in Zimbabwe use digital medical equipment and smartphones to facilitate childhood non-communicable disease testing, screening and treatment in under-resourced areas. In Zimbabwe, a Village Health Worker holds the smartphone she uses to transmit patient data to the public health system in real time. UNICEF supports the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care in strengthening its national health system. © UNICEF Connecting rural and remote communities to Zimbabwe's primary health system used to include delays of up to one month and loads of paperwork. Now, with the support of UNICEF and partners, the Ministry of Health and Child Care has equipped Village Health Workers with data-driven tools to make timely and lifesaving health care decisions. Digital health solutions like the use of a smartphone to transmit patient data in real time have empowered these workers to improve outcomes for children living with non-communicable diseases. Village Health Workers, trained volunteers who provide essential health and nutrition services to families and children, often work in remote areas that have limited access to health facilities. In the past, they recorded patient notes during their rounds that were then shared with the public health system, often long after the visit. 'We used to compile reports in a book which we would submit at the clinic at the end of the month. Now it is smoother and faster. Cellphones have been a game-changer,' says 52-year-old Margaret Denhera, a Village Health Worker in Luwana, Zimbabwe. Village Health Workers in Zimbabwe receive regular training on the digital medical equipment and devices they use on their rounds. © UNICEF 'I move around the village collecting information on non-communicable diseases. At the end of the day, I punch it into my phone,' says Denhera. She sends the data to the nearest health facility about 10 miles away. As the front line in Zimbabwe's public health system, Village Health Workers are often the first to identify non-communicable diseases like high blood pressure, chronic respiratory illness, cancer and diabetes. These diseases disproportionately affect people in developing countries, leading to the death of nearly 1 million people under age 20 each year worldwide. In Zimbabwe, NCDs are on the rise. Many, but by no means all, NCDs are preventable and treatable with early intervention and education on risk factors like excessive alcohol, inactivity, poor nutrition and tobacco use. Left undetected and untreated, NCDs can rapidly become life-threatening. Village Health Workers educate families on these risky behaviors and are trained to detect and test for NCDs on their rounds. The prompt reporting of a patient's symptoms to the nearest health facility can save a child's life. 'Village health workers are our foot soldiers,' says Yemurai Chamburuka, a primary care nurse at Patchway Clinic. 'When they see patients with abnormalities, they can easily call us or send the data by phone. It is to our advantage because we have the information as early as possible rather than waiting until the end of the month,' she says. 'If, during my checkup rounds, I test someone and observe, say, abnormal blood glucose levels, which is a sign of some non-communicable diseases, I refer the person to the clinic and send their test results ahead,' Denhera explains. Clinic nurses can review the real-time data and develop an action plan before the patient even reaches the facility. Because they come to know their clients and their environment so well, Village Health Workers often identify trends or potential disease outbreaks in their recordkeeping. The data they capture in real time is analyzed so that public health officials and policymakers can respond swiftly and efficiently. Dr. Robert Gongora, a digital health specialist who has led implementation of the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) Electronic Health Records (EHR) system since 2017, commends the seamless flow of patient information. 'With more and more connectivity, we begin to learn immediately what's happening in that area because the moment we receive the information, we plan for that client ahead of arrival,' he says. Dr. Justice Mudavanhu, National Coordinator for Non-Communicable Diseases in the MoHCC, says the Ministry's head office uses VHW-submitted data to map the country's response to the growing incidence of childhood NCDs. 'In the program, we have technical experts who apply evidence-based interventions that help us to develop guidelines, standard operating procedures, algorithms and strategies for chronic diseases in children,' he said during a recent tour of rural Zimbabwe. 'There are systems at community level, at health facility level, and, as you go up, there are non-location-specific systems that enable data visualization. When we know what we are facing, we can target and measure our interventions better,' Dr. Mudavanhu adds. 'It's better not to shoot in the dark, especially where resource allocation is concerned.' 'We call them 'Digital Health Workers.' ' Equitable access to health care requires decision-making based on accurate and timely data. Authorities see vital interlinkages between the MoHCC digitization program and UNICEF's support for capacity building of the public health system. UNICEF, with the support of partners, is helping the MoHCC revolutionize community-based primary health care to strengthen NCD diagnosis, prevention and treatment within primary health care and referral facilities. Dr. Gongora suggests the title 'Village Health Worker' is outdated. Instead, he says, they should be called 'Digital Health Workers." his vital work is made possible by a donation from Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) to UNICEF USA. UNICEF is strengthening health systems and preventing, detecting and treating NCDs for children and adolescents in Bangladesh, Malawi, Nepal, India, the Philippines and Zimbabwe. UNICEF does not endorse any company, brand, product or service.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
At least four killed by Israeli fire near Gaza food point, officials say
At least four people have been killed and others injured by Israeli fire about a kilometre from a food distribution point in Gaza, Palestinian health officials and witnesses said, the latest casualties of a new system to provide supplies that critics say is unethical, chaotic and dangerous. Palestinian witnesses said Israeli forces had opened fire on Sunday morning as people went to receive supplies from a site in Rafah run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israeli and US-backed group. Israel's military said it had fired warning shots at people who had approached its forces. It acknowledged reports of injuries but did not specify how many people it believed had been affected. Bodies were brought to Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. Al-Awda hospital said it had received the body of a 42-year-old man, as well as 29 people who had been injured near another GHF distribution point. The Reuters news agency reported that four people had been killed by the Israeli fire, while the Associated Press put the death toll at 'at least' five. The deaths bring the number of people who have been killed while trying to find food in Gaza since 27 May, when GHF became responsible for civilian food provision, to 110. More than 1,000 have been injured. Witnesses said Sunday's shooting in southern Gaza occurred at about 6am, when they had been told the site would open. Many had headed towards it early to try to get desperately needed food before the crowds. The military had announced on Friday that the sites would be open from 6am and that the area would be a closed military zone from 6pm until 6am. A GHF spokesperson said there had been 'no incident at or in [the] surrounding vicinity' of any distribution site. Adham Dahman, 30, who was at Nasser hospital with a bandage on his chin, told Associated Press that a tank had fired in their direction. 'We didn't know how to escape,' he said. 'This is trap for us, not aid.' Zahed Ben Hassan, another witness, said someone next to him had been shot in the head. He said he and others had pulled the body from the scene and managed to flee to the hospital. 'They said it was a safe area from 6am until 6pm … so why did they start shooting at us?' he said. 'There was light out, and they have their cameras and can clearly see us.' Sanaa Doghmah told Reuters that her husband, Khaled, 36, was fatally shot in the head while trying to reach a distribution site in Rafah to collect food for their five children. Khaled's aunt, Salwah, said at his funeral: 'He was going to get food for his children and himself, to make them live, feed them, because they don't have a pinch of flour at home.' There have been frequent shootings in the past two weeks near the new hubs, where thousands of Palestinians are being directed to collect food. Coverage of the war in Gaza is constrained by Israeli attacks on Palestinian journalists and a bar on international reporters entering the Gaza Strip to report independently on the war. Israel has not allowed foreign reporters to enter Gaza since 7 October 2023, unless they are under Israeli military escort. Reporters who join these trips have no control over where they go, and other restrictions include a bar on speaking to Palestinians in Gaza. Palestinian journalists and media workers inside Gaza have paid a heavy price for their work reporting on the war, with over 180 killed since the conflict began. The committee to protect journalists has determined that at least 19 of them 'were directly targeted by Israeli forces in killings which CPJ classifies as murders'. Foreign reporters based in Israel filed a legal petition seeking access to Gaza, but it was rejected by the supreme court on security grounds. Private lobbying by diplomats and public appeals by prominent journalists and media outlets have been ignored by the Israeli government. To ensure accurate reporting from Gaza given these restrictions, the Guardian works with trusted journalists on the ground; our visual teams verify photo and videos from third parties; and we use clearly sourced data from organisations that have a track record of providing accurate information in Gaza during past conflicts, or during other conflicts or humanitarian crises. Emma Graham-Harrison, chief Middle East correspondent The GHF announced on Wednesday that its operations would be suspended for 24 hours after Israeli troops opened fire on a crowd of Palestinians, as it pressed Israel to improve civilian safety beyond the perimeter of its distribution sites. Israeli troops killed at least 27 people and injured hundreds on Tuesday far beyond the perimeter of the distribution sites. They denied firing at civilians, but an Israel Defense Forces official admitted soldiers had fired 'warning shots toward several suspects who advanced toward the troops' near the food distribution site, without specifying who the suspects were. On 1 June, 31 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire as they went to receive food. Israel said it had fired warning shots towards several suspects who advanced towards troops. Israel imposed a blockade on all supplies to Gaza in March, saying Hamas was seizing deliveries for its fighters, which the group denies. A global hunger monitor said in May that half a million people in the strip faced starvation. The IPC estimated that nearly 71,000 children under five were expected to be 'acutely malnourished', with 14,100 cases expected to be severe in the next 11 months. The hubs are set up inside Israeli military zones, to which independent media have no access, and are run by GHF, a new group of mainly US contractors. Israel wants it to replace a system coordinated by the UN and international aid groups. The UN and other humanitarian organisations have rejected the new system, saying the GHF will not be able to meet the needs of Gaza's 2.3 million people and that it allows Israel to use food as a weapon to control the population. Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report
