AhlulBayt News Agency: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has raised alarm over a worsening health crisis in the Gaza Strip, reporting rising malnutrition and unprecedented genetic mutations in newborns, attributed to the ongoing Israeli blockade.
In a Sunday statement, UNRWA said its health clinics have observed a dramatic spike in malnutrition cases, particularly affecting children and vulnerable groups, since Israel intensified its siege in March.
The agency warned that the near-total collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system, coupled with extreme shortages of food and medicine, is driving the population toward disaster.
UNRWA urged the global community to intervene urgently and facilitate humanitarian aid, noting that over 90% of Gaza’s population currently suffers from malnutrition.
UNRWA spokesperson Adnan Abu Hasna told Al-Arabiya TV that roughly 70,000 children are malnourished, and premature infants are exhibiting genetic abnormalities never previously observed in Gaza, likely caused by starvation, trauma, and pollution.
He said, “Hospitals lack medications, and exhausted medical workers are operating under life-threatening conditions,” adding that more than 110 Palestinians are being killed daily in Israeli attacks.
UN bodies and human rights organizations have denounced the blockade as collective punishment and a violation of international law. Experts have voiced deep concern over long-term impacts, including congenital disabilities and developmental issues among children.
UNRWA restated its appeal for a lasting ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian access, and international accountability to stop the mounting loss of life and irreversible harm to Gaza’s population.
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