One in 10 children screened in clinics run by the United Nations refugee agency in Gaza by 2024 are malnourished, the agency said today.

“Our health teams confirm that malnutrition rates are rising in Gaza, especially since the siege intensified more than four months ago,” Gillette Touma, head of communications for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) told reporters in Geneva via video link from Amman, Jordan.

As of January 2024, UNRWA said it had examined more than 240,000 boys and girls under the age of 5 in its clinics, adding that before the war, cases of acute malnutrition were rarely seen in the Gaza Strip.

“A nurse we spoke to told us that in the past he only saw these cases of malnutrition in books and documentaries,” said Tuma. “Medicines, feeding supplies, sanitary items, fuel… all are being depleted at a rapid rate,” Touma added.

On May 19, Israel lifted an 11-week blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza, allowing the resumption of limited UN distribution of supplies. However, it continues to deny UNRWA permission to bring aid into the enclave.

Yesterday, UNICEF said that last month more than 5,800 children were diagnosed with malnutrition in Gaza, including 1,000 children with severe, acute malnutrition. It said this was an increase for the fourth consecutive month.