Nearly half of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in Gaza suffering severe malnutrition, warns charity

Independent

4 days ago

Nearly half of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in Gaza are suffering from severe malnutrition and are in need of urgent care, a charity has warned.
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) said that 44 per cent of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers screened by one of its local partners are suffering from serious starvation and urgently need to be referred for medical treatment.
The non-profit organisation said it is 'extremely concerned' about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as a health worker told of treating two young, severely malnourished children who have been surviving on just dry bread and tea 'on their luckiest day'.
The alarming new data reported by Ard El Insan (AEI), which has been delivering nutrition and medical support to Palestinians across Gaza, has shown a 10 per cent increase since May of pregnant or breastfeeding women suffering from severe malnutrition.
A total of 2,264 out of 5,120 mothers who were screened during the first two weeks of July were identified as malnourished, according to MAP, compared to 2,134 out of 6,082 across a fortnight in late May to June.
MAP warned of the deepening malnutrition emergency in Gaza, as seven more people died from famine there in the last day, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, bringing the death toll from insufficient food to 154 people, including 89 children.
MAP said the number of people dying from malnutrition is continuing to rise. Two months since the establishment of Israel 's militarised aid distribution sites, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access food, and thousands more have been injured, according to the UN.
Mohammed Almadhoun, a MAP's community health worker, said: 'This morning, I was dealing with two siblings, aged 11 and 14, who showed clear signs of severe malnutrition. We gave them ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) to try and stabilise their condition. But families tell us that their diet is almost nonexistent. On their luckiest day, they survive on just dry bread and tea. Urgent action is needed!'
Mohammed Alkhatib, MAP's deputy director of programmes in southern Gaza, said: 'We are extremely concerned about the ongoing humanitarian situation. So far, no therapeutic supplements for malnutrition cases have been allowed in. Alarmingly, we have started to see a rise in deaths linked to malnutrition, not only among children but also the elderly.'
It comes as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have for the first time urged Hamas to disband to pave the way for a Palestinian state in an unprecedented move. They signed a statement condemning the 7 October attacks and told Hamas to surrender control, along with 14 other countries, including Britain and France, after a UN conference.
Benjamin Netanyahu accused Sir Keir Starmer of 'rewarding Hamas' over his pledge to recognise Palestine unless Israel takes steps to end the war.
The UK prime minister's announcement followed a UN-backed food security body alert that the 'worst-case scenario of famine' is playing out in Gaza.
Until last week, AEI operated a medical point in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, which provided essential care and nutrition services to around 200 malnourished women and children every day. But MAP said the medical point was forced to shut down following forced displacement orders issued by the Israeli military on Sunday 20 July.
The non-profit organisation said it continues to attempt to operate eight other nutrition medical points across southern Gaza despite the 'massive disruption' caused by the forced displacement orders and the ongoing siege. 'For months Israel has imposed a complete and suffocating siege on civilians in Gaza, preventing the entry of vital humanitarian aid, food, fuel and medical supplies while continuing its military assault,' MAP said. However, it warned its ability to deliver services is becoming increasingly difficult and dangerous, and the scale of the crisis far exceeds available resources.
Healthcare and aid workers themselves are reporting being unable to get enough food and say they are also suffering from malnutrition.
Dr Khalid Shawa, a general surgeon at a field hospital in Gaza City, said: 'I honestly don't know how to describe it. As medical teams, we're completely exhausted. We don't have the calories to keep going, there's nothing to drink, and no chance to rest, not even between the surgeries that stretch late into the night.'
MAP is again joining the huge numbers demanding world leaders urgently intervene.
It said: 'World leaders, including those in the UK, cannot continue to stand by while Gaza's population is starved, displaced, and denied the basic right to survive. The evidence of Israel's atrocities in Gaza is impossible to ignore. Its suffocating siege and renewed military offensive are destroying the health system, starving two million people, and threatening the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.'