The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, warned on Wednesday that aid missions from Gaza City to the north are not receiving permission from Israel.
The United Nations health agency, WHO, has given deeply alarming information about Beit Lahia’s troubled Kamal Adwan Hospital, which, as of Monday, had only three days’ worth of fuel left, according to it.
WHO spokeswoman Dr Margaret Harris said there were now 55 patients in hospital, including 13 children, and a total of five patients in intensive care.
The spokesperson said, “The hospital is currently managed by only 12 general practitioners and 70 nurses… (the hospital) needs emergency medical teams to provide relief and more expertise to overworked nurses and doctors. Needed.”
“They also need blood units, medical supplies, food and fuel.”
Dr Margaret Harris said UNICEF had access to hospitals to distribute prepared meals to severely malnourished children, but the agency was not allowed to take the high-energy biscuits that were part of their relief package.
The rising state of malnutrition
Recent data from Gaza, provided by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), show “clear signs of a rapid deterioration of the nutritional situation”.
According to the latest nutrition data in Gaza, 3,410 children were admitted for treatment of acute malnutrition between November 1 and 23. Between July and October, an average of 4,700 children were admitted for treatment every month.
This is 67 percent of the 32,817 children admitted to the hospital since the beginning of the year.
More worryingly, aid groups have seen a “significant increase” in the number of children being hospitalized with severe acute malnutrition.
Even in youth, clear signs of fluid retention (edema) can be seen, which is a clear indication of severe hunger levels.