Latest news with #Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Malay Mail
Hunger is killing Gaza's children, and it's man-made, says WHO
GENEVA, July 28 — Malnutrition rates are reaching 'alarming levels' in the Gaza Strip, the World Health Organization warned Sunday, saying the 'deliberate blocking' of aid was entirely preventable and had cost many lives. 'Malnutrition is on a dangerous trajectory in the Gaza Strip, marked by a spike in deaths in July,' the WHO said in a statement. Of the 74 recorded malnutrition-related deaths in 2025, 63 had occurred in July — including 24 children under five, one child aged over five, and 38 adults, it added. 'Most of these people were declared dead on arrival at health facilities or died shortly after, their bodies showing clear signs of severe wasting,' the UN health agency said. 'The crisis remains entirely preventable. Deliberate blocking and delay of large-scale food, health, and humanitarian aid has cost many lives.' Israel on Sunday began a limited 'tactical pause' in military operations to allow the UN and aid agencies to tackle a deepening hunger crisis. But the WHO called for sustained efforts to 'flood' the Gaza Strip with diverse, nutritious food, and for the expedited delivery of therapeutic supplies for children and vulnerable groups, plus essential medicines and supplies. 'This flow must remain consistent and unhindered to support recovery and prevent further deterioration', the Geneva-based agency said. On Wednesday, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the situation 'mass starvation — and it's man-made'. 'Dangerous cycle' of death Nearly one in five children under five in Gaza City is now acutely malnourished, the WHO said Sunday, citing its Nutrition Cluster partners. It said the per centage of children aged six to 59 months suffering from acute malnutrition had tripled in the city since June, making it the worst-hit area in the Palestinian territory. 'These figures are likely an underestimation due to the severe access and security constraints preventing many families from reaching health facilities,' the WHO said. The WHO said that in the first two weeks of July, more than 5,000 children under five had been admitted for outpatient treatment of malnutrition — 18 per cent of them with the most life-threatening form, severe acute malnutrition (SAM). The 6,500 children admitted for malnutrition treatment in June was the highest number since the war began in October 2023. A further 73 children with SAM and medical complications have been hospitalised in July, up from 39 in June. 'This surge in cases is overwhelming the only four specialised malnutrition treatment centres,' the WHO said. Furthermore, the organisation said the breakdown of water and sanitation services was 'driving a dangerous cycle of illness and death'. As for pregnant and breastfeeding women, Nutrition Cluster screening data showed that more than 40 per cent were severely malnourished, the WHO said. 'It is not only hunger that is killing people, but also the desperate search for food,' the UN health agency said. 'Families are being forced to risk their lives for a handful of food, often under dangerous and chaotic conditions,' it added. The UN rights office says Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid in Gaza since the Israel- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operations in late May. Nearly three-quarters of them died near GHF sites. — AFP
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Health
- News.com.au
WHO says malnutrition reaching 'alarming levels' in Gaza
Malnutrition rates are reaching "alarming levels" in the Gaza Strip, the World Health Organization warned Sunday, saying the "deliberate blocking" of aid was entirely preventable and had cost many lives. "Malnutrition is on a dangerous trajectory in the Gaza Strip, marked by a spike in deaths in July," the WHO said in a statement. Of the 74 recorded malnutrition-related deaths in 2025, 63 had occurred in July -- including 24 children under five, one child aged over five, and 38 adults, it added. "Most of these people were declared dead on arrival at health facilities or died shortly after, their bodies showing clear signs of severe wasting," the UN health agency said. "The crisis remains entirely preventable. Deliberate blocking and delay of large-scale food, health, and humanitarian aid has cost many lives." Israel on Sunday began a limited "tactical pause" in military operations to allow the UN and aid agencies to tackle a deepening hunger crisis. But the WHO called for sustained efforts to "flood" the Gaza Strip with diverse, nutritious food, and for the expedited delivery of therapeutic supplies for children and vulnerable groups, plus essential medicines and supplies. "This flow must remain consistent and unhindered to support recovery and prevent further deterioration", the Geneva-based agency said. On Wednesday, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the situation "mass starvation -- and it's man-made". - 'Dangerous cycle' of death - Nearly one in five children under five in Gaza City is now acutely malnourished, the WHO said Sunday, citing its Nutrition Cluster partners. It said the percentage of children aged six to 59 months suffering from acute malnutrition had tripled in the city since June, making it the worst-hit area in the Palestinian territory. "These figures are likely an underestimation due to the severe access and security constraints preventing many families from reaching health facilities," the WHO said. The WHO said that in the first two weeks of July, more than 5,000 children under five had been admitted for outpatient treatment of malnutrition -- 18 percent of them with the most life-threatening form, severe acute malnutrition (SAM). The 6,500 children admitted for malnutrition treatment in June was the highest number since the war began in October 2023. A further 73 children with SAM and medical complications have been hospitalised in July, up from 39 in June. "This surge in cases is overwhelming the only four specialised malnutrition treatment centres," the WHO said. Furthermore, the organisation said the breakdown of water and sanitation services was "driving a dangerous cycle of illness and death". As for pregnant and breastfeeding women, Nutrition Cluster screening data showed that more than 40 percent were severely malnourished, the WHO said. "It is not only hunger that is killing people, but also the desperate search for food," the UN health agency said. "Families are being forced to risk their lives for a handful of food, often under dangerous and chaotic conditions," it added. The UN rights office says Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid in Gaza since the Israel- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operations in late May. Nearly three-quarters of them died near GHF sites.
France 24
23-07-2025
- Health
- France 24
WHO chief says 'large proportion' of Gaza's people 'starving'
"A large proportion of the population of Gaza is starving. I don't know what you would call it other than mass starvation -- and it's man-made," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters. His statement added his voice to those of 111 aid organisations and rights groups, including MSF and Oxfam, who warned earlier Wednesday that "mass starvation" was spreading in Gaza. "Our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away," they said in a joint statement. Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, where more than two million people are facing severe shortages of food and other essentials after 21 months of conflict. Even after Israel began easing a more than two-month aid blockade in late May, Gaza's population is still suffering extreme scarcities. "The 2.1 million people trapped in the war zone that is Gaza are facing yet another killer on top of bombs and bullets: starvation," Tedros said. "We are now witnessing a deadly surge in malnutrition-related deaths," he added. Children starving to death Tedros highlighted that "rates of global acute malnutrition exceed 10 percent, and over 20 percent of pregnant and breastfeeding women that have been screened are malnourished, often severely". The UN health agency has documented 21 deaths in Gaza related to malnutrition of children under the age of five since the beginning of the year, but acknowledges that that the true number is likely higher. The head of Gaza's largest hospital said Tuesday that 21 children had died due to malnutrition and starvation in the Palestinian territory over the previous three days alone. Tedros warned that "the hunger crisis is being accelerated by the collapse of aid pipelines and restrictions on access". The starvation is "man-made" and clearly caused by Israel's blockade on the territory, he said. The WHO chief highlighted how starving people were risking their lives to access aid. The UN rights office said Tuesday that Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid in Gaza since the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operations in late May. "Not only 1,026 were killed while trying to feed themselves or find food for their family. Thousands were also wounded," Tedros said. "We demand that there is full access, and we demand that there is a ceasefire," he said. "We demand that there is a political solution to this problem, a lasting solution."
Reuters
23-07-2025
- Health
- Reuters
WHO sees 'deadly' surge in malnutrition in Gaza; 21 children under five killed in 2025
July 23 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said on Wednesday it was seeing a deadly surge in malnutrition in Gaza that has led to the deaths of 21 children under five so far in 2025. Malnutrition centers are full without sufficient supplies for emergency feeding, the health agency said, as the hunger crisis gets accelerated by the collapse of aid pipelines and restrictions on access. Gaza has seen its food stocks run out since Israel cut off all supplies to the territory in March and then lifted that blockade in May, but with conditions that it says are needed to prevent aid from being diverted to militant groups. However, aid agencies say that only a trickle of what is needed is currently reaching people in Gaza. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the health agency was unable to deliver any food for nearly 80 days between March and May, adding that the resumption of deliveries was still far below what is needed. "The 2.1 million people up in the war zone that is Gaza are facing yet another killer on top of bombs and bullets, starvation; we're now witnessing a deadly surge in malnutrition related disease," Ghebreyesus said.
