This is the third year that the school year in the Gaza Strip has not started due to the war. According to data from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), approximately 660,000 children in the Gaza Strip are out of school due to the war of annihilation that has been going on for 23 months.
In a statement, UNRWA noted that “the war in Gaza is a war against children, and it must stop. Children must be protected at all times,” while emphasizing children’s basic right to education.
It was also reported that “in Gaza, children are in danger of becoming a lost generation.” The UN agency called for an immediate ceasefire in the Strip, which would allow children to return to school and their lives.
The nutritional status of children in Gaza continues to deteriorate. According to UN data, in July, almost 13,000 new children were recorded as being admitted for treatment of acute malnutrition. Moreover, the severity of cases continues to increase; last month, it was found that out of approximately 13,000 cases of acute malnutrition, more than 2,800 cases (22%) were of severe acute malnutrition.
In the Gaza Strip, 106 outpatient malnutrition treatment sites have been opened, reporting the most severe cases of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition with complications, requiring hospitalization and treatment in stabilization centers. In July alone, 129 cases were identified, compared to 125 cases between January and June.
Despite the increasing number of patients, there are only five stabilization centers for severe acute malnutrition in Gaza, two in Gaza City, one in Deir al-Balah and two in Khan Yunis, which can only treat 43 children—not enough to cope with the high number of cases.
It should be noted that the health system in the Gaza Strip reported Sunday that the death toll from hunger since the beginning of the war is 339 people, of whom 124 are children. The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip also announced that dozens of people continue to be killed by fire from Israeli occupation forces, including while trying to obtain aid.
According to data from the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the death toll in the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the war has risen to 63,459, including more than 19,000 children, and the number of injured now stands at 160,256.
Zo Haderekh
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