Gaza: 57 Children Reported Dead From Malnutrition, Says WHO
13 May 2025
Since the aid blockade began on 2 March, 57 children have reportedly died from the effects of malnutrition, according to the Ministry of Health.
If the situation persists, nearly 71,000 children under the age of five are expected to be acutely malnourished over the next 11 months.
Briefing journalists in Geneva, WHO's representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Dr. Rik Peeperkorn said that that Israel's complete aid embargo has left only enough WHO supplies to treat 500 children with acute malnutrition – 'a fraction of the urgent need'.
'People are trapped in this cycle where a lack of diversified food, malnutrition and disease fuel each other,' he warned.
Dr. Peeperkorn's comments follow the publication on Monday of a new analysis by the UN-backed food security alert scale known as the IPC showing that one in five people in Gaza – 500,000 – faces starvation, while the entire 2.1 million population of the Strip is subjected to prolonged food shortages. WHO is a member of the IPC.
An escalating hunger crisis
'This is one of the world's worst hunger crises, unfolding in real time,' Dr. Peeperkorn said.
The UN health agency representative spoke of his recent visit to Kamal Adwan hospital in north Gaza, where each day more than 300 children are screened at a WHO-supported nutrition centre. During the visit, the hospital reported more than 11 per cent of cases with global acute malnutrition.
Describing the affected children, he said, 'I've seen them [in the] wards… A child of five years old, and I thought he's two and a half.'
WHO supports 16 outpatient and three inpatient malnutrition treatment centres in the enclave with lifesaving supplies, but the stopping of aid by Israel and shrinking humanitarian access are threatening its ability to sustain these operations.
Dr. Peeperkorn insisted on the long-term damage from malnutrition which 'can last a lifetime,' with impacts including stunted growth, impaired cognitive development and health.
'Without enough nutritious food, clean water, access to health care, an entire generation will be permanently affected,' he warned.
The WHO official stressed that the agency was 'constantly' raising with Israeli authorities the need to get supplies into the Strip. Some 31 WHO aid trucks are at a standstill in Al-Arish in Egypt just a few dozen kilometres away from the Rafah border crossing with Gaza and more supplies are positioned in the West Bank, ready to move 'any day when this is allowed.'
'Healthcare is not a target'
Turning to attacks on healthcare, Dr. Peeperkorn said that the burn unit of Nasser Medical Complex in the southern town of Khan Younis was reportedly hit by an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday, killing two and injuring 12. The attack has resulted in the loss of 18 hospital beds in the surgical department including eight 'critical' intensive care beds.
Media reported that a Palestinian journalist was killed in the attack during treatment for injuries sustained in a previous airstrike.
'Healthcare is not a target,' Dr. Peeperkorn concluded. He reiterated calls for the protection of health facilities, an immediate end to the aid blockade, the release of all hostages held by Palestinian armed groups and for a ceasefire 'which leads to lasting peace.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
9 hours ago
- Scoop
Gaza: UN Rights Chief Condemns New Killings Around Private Aid Hub
03 June ' Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law and a war crime,' the High Commissioner said in a statement, issued after Palestinians were reportedly killed seeking assistance for a third day running. Mr. Türk also urged Israel to respect 'binding orders' issued by the International Court of Justice to fully cooperate with the UN and ensure that aid reaches the people of Gaza 'without delay' and 'at scale'. 'There is no justification for failing to comply with these obligations,' he said. UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the loss of lives and injuries of Palestinians seeking aid, which are "unacceptable,' and continues to call for an independent investigation into the incidents. 'Once again, we are witnessing unthinkable loss of life in Gaza," he told journalists in New York. 'Civilians are risking – and in several instances losing – their lives to get food.' Access calls denied The controversial new aid initiative run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation bypasses the work of UN aid agencies which have repeatedly appealed for unimpeded access to Gaza in order to bring in thousands of tonnes of supplies. To date, the little aid that has been allowed into the enclave has fallen far short of what is needed. In an update, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) insisted that it still had 'teams on the ground' in Gaza ready to distribute supplies where they are needed across the war-torn enclave, if only they could be allowed to move. 'We have right now 51 trucks waiting loaded with medical supplies to go to those few hospitals that are still functional,' said WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic. 'We need access so that we can bring in supplies within Gaza to health facilities so they can function. Unfortunately, what is happening is just the opposite. There is no hospital in north Gaza functional anymore.' On Monday, Mr. Jasarevic said that a WHO team went to the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza 'and basically evacuated all remaining patients and medical staff…now that hospital is completely empty'. In Jabalia, also in northern Gaza, three Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed on Monday when their vehicle struck an explosive device. Most vulnerable miss out Critics of the US-Israeli scheme - which include the UN - have warned that it prevents children, the elderly and those with disabilities from receiving aid, since recipients often have to walk long distances to retrieve boxes of supplies distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. 'The wilful impediment of access to food and other life-sustaining relief supplies for civilians may constitute a war crime,' Mr. Türk said. His lengthy statement also condemned 'the threat of starvation' faced by Gazans today, the '20 months of killing of civilians and destruction on a massive scale'. Gazans have also been repeatedly displaced by evacuation orders from the Israeli military and faced 'intolerable, dehumanizing rhetoric and threats by Israel's leadership to empty the Strip', the UN rights chief noted. All of these facts constitute elements of the most serious crimes under international law, he insisted. 'Am I going to get shot?' Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, OHCHR, highlighted the High Commissioner's call for a prompt, independent investigation into the dozens of reported killings in Gaza since the new aid hub opened on 27 May. 'I think there's so much which has happened in the past three days apart from the tragic circumstances of human beings trying to gather food to survive and then being killed in the process,' he told journalists in Geneva. '[Gazans] are being forced to walk to these centres and now they're terrified. Probably they go there and they're thinking, 'Am I going to get food or am I going to get shot? '' Mr. Laurence noted multiple media reports on killings around the southern Gaza aid hub in recent days indicating engagement by helicopters, naval vessels, tanks and ground troops. 'We are aware of those reports,' he said, noting that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had also published an account on X of what had happened on Tuesday. 'My colleagues who are working on the ground have conducted interviews with witnesses and they do report fire from the IDF on those trying to access the food distribution centres. We've received reports from other organizations on the ground to a similar effect.' He added: 'We've gathered our own information; we've spoken to witnesses on the ground who have shared what they have seen, heard and felt themselves.' Asked to explain what the High Commissioner meant when he expressed concerns that the 'most serious crimes under international law' may have been committed, Mr. Laurence explained that this referred to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Young lives in danger Meanwhile, humanitarians report a sharp rise in child labour and early marriage in Gaza, as well as family separation – all driven by hunger, displacement and economic turmoil. 'Children are increasingly exposed to violence and exploitation during chaotic distributions of basic supplies – including in crowds, when people take flour directly from trucks,' said Mr. Dujarric, the UN Spokesperson, noting that children with disabilities are often the worst affected. Israel also issued another displacement order on Monday covering four neighbourhoods in Khan Younis, affecting some 45,000 people. Aid 'still just a trickle' Mr. Dujarric said the UN and partners continue to make the most of the limited opening for aid delivery which began last month following nearly 80 days of blockade. 'But as we've said before, what's coming in – and if it does come in - is still just a trickle and does not meet the immense needs on the ground,' he remarked. 'We have enough supplies lined up and ready, close to Gaza. But only limited amounts are actually reaching the people who need them, and that's because of conditions on the ground.' In particular, the UN humanitarian affairs office OCHA warns of bottlenecks in the Kerem Shalom border crossing, the only one Israel allows for aid into Gaza. He said that since 17 May, only half of the pre-cleared supplies submitted for a second and final clearance by Israel has made it through to the Palestinian side of the crossing. 'In total, the UN and our partners submitted over 1,200 pre-cleared truckloads for final Israeli clearance,' he said. Just over 920 truckloads were approved and some 620 have made it to the Palestinian side. Of the supplies scanned in Kerem Shalom - which include flour as well as medical and nutrition items - UN teams have managed to collect about 370 truckloads and bring them inside Gaza. Mr. Dujarric explained that access to the crossing 'requires driving through militarized zones where bombings are continuing' and UN teams have to follow routes that are approved by the Israeli authorities. 'Yesterday, 10 of 13 attempts to coordinate such movements were rejected. And those included the collection of supplies from Kerem Shalom, but also other life-saving operations such as trucking water to North Gaza or relocating fuel stocks to where they are needed,' he said.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Prominent medical bodies call for release of delayed gender affirming healthcare guidelines
Te Whatu Ora was due to release the guidelines in March. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver Prominent medical bodies are calling on the government to allow the release of updated gender affirming healthcare guidelines after a small section on puberty blockers caused it to be delayed. The guidelines were due to be released at the end of March but it's is now unclear when they will be. The Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa, who was asked by Te Whatu Ora to update the guidelines, believes the delay is "due to unprecedented and inappropriate political interference". Te Whatu Ora says it'll publish the guidelines "once decisions are made by the government following the ministry's consultation process". Public submissions on the matter closed 20 January. But PATHA says the advice on puberty blockers in the guidelines was updated in November to reflect the Ministry of Health's new position and this was approved by Te Whatu Ora's National Clinical Governance Group. It says this advice makes up only six pages out of the total 182 pages of the document. The guidelines cover all aspects of gender-affirming care to support trans and non-binary people and their families to navigate healthcare. This includes whānau support, creating inclusive clinical environments, non-medical and non-surgical gender affirmation, speech and language therapy, fertility and sexual health, mental wellbeing, gender-affirming hormone therapy, and detransition, as well as specific guidance for Māori, Pasifika, and refugee and asylum seeker trans people, PATHA said. More than 300 medical bodies, community organisations, and individual healthcare professionals have signed an open letter calling for the government to allow Te Whatu Ora to release the guidelines. These include General Practice New Zealand (GPNZ), Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, The Paediatric Society of NZ, New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists, New Zealand College of Primary Health Care Nurses, College of Child and Youth Nurses and New Zealand Nurses Organisation. PATHA president Jennifer Shields said delaying the release impacts on the ability to improve healthcare delivery and health outcomes for the transgender and non-binary population. "Less than 24 hours before the date of publication, there was an unnecessary, indefinite and unexplained delay in the publication of these clinical guidelines, we believe due to unprecedented and inappropriate political interference." In November, the government released its evidence brief on puberty blockers and a position statement which sets out its expectations for their use. It signalled its intention to consider regulating them in gender affirming care and tasked the ministry with consultation, opening up public submissions. Regulatory measures could include restricting prescribing puberty blockers in the context of gender affirming care for young people but not its use in other contexts, the ministry said. Further measures being considered by the ministry included updating clinical guidance and increasing monitoring of prescriptions. The Green Party has denounced the signalled change of approach. Medical practitioners are currently working with guidelines published in 2018. PATHA said Te Whatu Ora contacted it in 2023 to update these. "It is standard practice for guidelines to be periodically updated to ensure their content is kept up to date. PATHA submitted the updated guidelines in October 2024 and they followed the standard process for publication of a clinical guideline, and were approved by Te Whatu Ora's National Clinical Governance Group." Vice president Dr Rona Carroll said clinicians are asking for up-to-date guidance to provide appropriate and safe healthcare. "The need for this updated guidance is clear and something I hear from health professionals on a daily basis. We just want to be able to publish these guidelines so the clinicians who need them can use them." Health NZ Te Whatu Ora national clinical director primary and community care Dr Sarah Clarke said it acknowledges the guidelines currently being used are from 2018 and that the evidence base in this area continues to evolve. "In the interim, and ahead of the updated guidelines being published, our advice is that health professionals continue to provide effective care based on the best available evidence and consult and take advice from colleagues more experienced in this care when appropriate." Puberty blockers can be used as part of gender affirming care to delay the onset of puberty by suppressing oestrogen and testosterone. They are also used for precocious puberty in children, and the ministry says the same medications can be used in adults to treat endometriosis, breast and prostate cancer, and polycystic ovary syndrome. The evidence brief released in November and subsequent public consultation only looked at the use of blockers specifically as they related to gender affirming care. The ministry says overall, the evidence brief found "significant limitations in the quality of evidence for either the benefits or risks (or lack thereof) of the use of puberty blockers". Following the release of the evidence brief, the ministry directed clinicians to exercise caution in prescribing puberty blockers. At the time Shields said this was already in line with New Zealand best practice and it was reassuring to see the ministry recognise this.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
'HIV should not be a death sentence in Fiji' - call for testing amid outbreak
Photo: 123RF Fiji's Minister for Health & Medical Services has revealed the latest HIV numbers in the country to a development partner roundtable on the country's response. There were 490 new HIV cases from October - December last year, bringing the 2024 total to 1583. "Included in this number are 32 newborns diagnosed with HIV acquired through mother-to-child transmission," Dr Atonio Rabici Lalabalavu said. Fiji declared an outbreak of the disease in January. The Fiji Sun reported around 115 HIV-related deaths in the January-September 2024 period. Fiji's Central Division reported 1100 new cases in 2024, with 427 in the Western Division and 50 in the Northern Division. Of the newly recorded cases, less than half - 770 - have been successfully linked to care, of which 711 have been commenced on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Just over half were aged in their twenties, and 70 percent of cases were male. Dr Lalabalavu said the increase in HIV cases is also seeing an increase in tuberculosis and HIV co-infection, with 160 individuals in a year. He said the ministry strongly encourages individuals to get tested, know their status, and if it is positive, seek treatment. Atonio Lalabalavu Photo: Facebook / Ministry of Health & Medical Services And if it is negative, to maintain that negative status. "I will reiterate what I have said before to all Fijians - HIV should not be a death sentence in Fiji." In the Western Pacific, the estimated number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) reached 1.9 million in 2020, up from 1.4 million in 2010. At the time, the World Health Organisation said over the previous two decades, HIV prevalence in the Western Pacific had remained low at 0.1 percent. However, the low prevalence in the general population masked high levels of HIV infection among key populations.
