UNICEF: Gaza’s Children Threatened by Disease Due to Cold, Lack of Supplies

AhlulBayt News Agency: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned of a growing risk of disease outbreaks among children in the Gaza Strip due to cold weather and successive low-pressure systems, amid a severe shortage of basic supplies.

In a statement issued on Sunday, UNICEF said that current conditions, with the continued cold front, are exacerbating threats to children’s health and safety, particularly as essential aid deliveries are delayed, increasing the likelihood of illnesses linked to cold exposure and malnutrition.

The organization called for an urgent scale-up of humanitarian assistance, especially winter clothing and tents, to cope with harsh weather conditions. It stressed the need to allow aid to enter Gaza without obstacles, including large quantities of winter supplies currently stockpiled at the borders.

UNICEF noted that nutrition screenings conducted with its partners last November showed that around 9,300 children under the age of five in Gaza are suffering from acute malnutrition, reflecting the deteriorating humanitarian and health situation for children.

Separately, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned on Saturday of worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza amid poor weather.

In a social media post, the agency said: “Winter further compounds the already dire living conditions for people in Gaza,” adding that for displaced families, each new rainfall brings flooding, damage, and increased suffering.

UNRWA confirmed that its teams—despite being displaced themselves—continue to support people wherever possible by pumping sewage and floodwater, removing waste, distributing plastic sheets, winter clothing and blankets, and providing medical care.

The agency added that more could be done, but Israeli authorities continue to prevent UNRWA from delivering aid directly into Gaza, noting that the agency has sufficient shelter supplies for up to 1.3 million people, which have been pre-positioned outside Gaza.

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