Latest news with #RikPeeperkorn
Kuwait News Agency
14-05-2025
- Health
- Kuwait News Agency
WHO: Half a million people in Gaza face catastrophic situation
GENEVA, May 13 (KUNA) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday that the ongoing blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip by occupation forces could result in "one of the worst humanitarian crises since World War II" with nearly half a million people facing a "catastrophic situation of hunger, acute starvation and illness." Speaking from Gaza during a press conference in Geneva, WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territories Rik Peeperkorn said that more than 55 children have died due to complications from malnutrition and related illnesses since March 2, according to WHO reports. He added that approximately 71,000 children under the age of five are at risk of acute malnutrition in the coming months and more than 17,000 breastfeeding mothers are facing serious health risks due to continued food shortages and lack of healthcare. He warned of long-term effects of malnutrition including stunted growth in children cognitive impairments and a general deterioration in health Peeperkorn described the situation in Gaza as a "deadly spiral of food insecurity malnutrition a collapsing health system scarce clean water and deteriorating sanitation services" emphasizing that "nine out of ten people" are unable to access safe drinking water. The WHO representative also expressed concern over shortage of medical supplies stating that WHO warehouses in Gaza now hold enough materials to treat only a few hundred children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. According to a new report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the situation in Gaza is described as one of the worst hunger crises in the world. The report indicates that all 2.1 million residents of Gaza suffer from food insecurity with around 500,000 people experiencing catastrophic levels of hunger, acute malnutrition and disease. Another one million are severely affected and the remainder face moderate impacts. (end)
Observer
13-05-2025
- Health
- Observer
57 children in Gaza died from hunger
GENEVA: Fifty-seven children have died from the effects of malnutrition during the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip, Rik Peeperkorn, representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO), said on Tuesday, citing the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Peeperkorn, who represents the WHO in the Palestinian Territories, said in a video call that the UN organisation has not yet verified these figures. However, he noted that the WHO has observed an increase in malnourished children. In connection with this, he reported many young patients with pneumonia and gastrointestinal diseases. "You normally don't die from starvation, you die from diseases associated with it," he said. From the WHO's headquarters in Geneva, it was stated that in recent weeks, more than 57 children may have already died due to the food crisis. Since the beginning of March, the Israeli military has not allowed aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned at the beginning of the week of an escalating famine in the coastal strip, based on a recent analysis indicating that the entire population of the Gaza Strip - around 2.1 million people - is affected by acute food insecurity. Of these, 244,000 people are already suffering from famine, the FAO said. Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinian journalist Hassan Aslih who was killed in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday. — Reuters Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military will enter Gaza "with full force" in the coming days, despite ongoing ceasefire efforts and the release of a US-Israeli captive from the war-ravaged territory. "In the very coming days, we are going in with full force to complete the operation," Netanyahu was quoted as saying in a statement from his office on Tuesday. "There will be no situation where we stop the war. A temporary ceasefire might happen, but we are going all the way." The prime minister's comments followed the return on Monday of 21-year-old soldier Edan Alexander. "The return of Edan Alexander is the result of serious communications with the US administration and the efforts of mediators, not a consequence of Israeli aggression or the illusion of military pressure," the Palestinian group said in a statement. Israel resumed major operations across Gaza on March 18 amid a deadlock over how to proceed with a January 19 ceasefire. Earlier this month, Israel's government approved plans to expand its offensive, with officials talking of retaining a long-term presence there. — Agencies
Qatar Tribune
13-05-2025
- Health
- Qatar Tribune
‘57 children in Gaza have died from effects of hunger'
Fifty-seven children have died from the effects of malnutrition during the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip, Rik Peeperkorn, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO), said on Tuesday, citing the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Peeperkorn, who represents the WHO in the Palestinian Territories, said in a video call that the UN organization has not yet verified these figures. However, he noted that the WHO has observed an increase in malnourished children. In connection with this, he reported many young patients with pneumonia and gastrointestinal diseases. 'You normally don't die from starvation, you die from diseases associated with it,' he said. From the WHO's headquarters in Geneva, it was stated that in recent weeks, more than 57 children may have already died due to the food crisis. Since the beginning of March, the Israeli military has not allowed aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip. The armed forces accuse the Palestinian extremist organization Hamas of selling aid supplies at inflated prices to the suffering population and using the proceeds to pay for their fighters and weapons. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned at the beginning of the week of an escalating famine in the coastal strip, based on a recent analysis indicating that the entire population of the Gaza Strip - around 2.1 million people - is affected by acute food insecurity. Of these, 244,000 people are already suffering from famine, the FAO said. (DPA)
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
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.'
LBCI
13-05-2025
- Health
- LBCI
WHO warns of permanent impact of hunger on a generation of Gazans
Malnutrition rates are rising in Gaza and hunger could have lasting impacts on "an entire generation," the World Health Organization's representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory said Tuesday. Rik Peeperkorn said he had seen children in clinics who looked years younger than their age. "Without enough nutritious food, clean water and access to health care, an entire generation will be permanently affected," Peeperkorn told a press briefing by video link from Deir al-Balah, warning of poor health, stunting and impaired cognitive development.
