AhlulBayt News Agency: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urgently called for the reopening of all border crossings to enable the delivery of vital food aid into the Gaza Strip. The agency warned that more Palestinian children could die, as their immune systems have been severely weakened due to the ongoing war waged by Israel.
UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires stated on Friday, “The situation is critical. We risk seeing a massive spike in child deaths—not only among newborns but also infants—because their immune systems are more compromised than ever before.”
His remarks came as a fragile ceasefire, brokered by the United States, took effect in Gaza. On Friday, Israeli forces began withdrawing from certain areas of the strip.
A senior UN official announced on Thursday that the United Nations intends to significantly increase its humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza during the first 60 days of the ceasefire, aiming to mitigate the threat of famine.
The UNICEF spokesperson emphasized that nutritional support is the top priority, noting that “50,000 children” are at risk of acute malnutrition and urgently require immediate treatment.
Pires explained that children’s immunity in Gaza is dangerously low because “they haven’t been eating properly—or at all—for far too long.”
He added, “Children need the right vitamins and nutrients to grow and to cope with temperature changes or outbreaks of viruses.”
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