In a scene that sums up an unprecedented humanitarian tragedy, Raafat Al-Majdalawi, director of the Return Health Association in Gaza, revealed shocking figures that illustrate the scale of the disaster affecting children in the Strip. After more than two years of war and siege, he confirmed that the humanitarian situation:
has reached a stage of complete collapse.
Gaza children suffer effects of malnutrition
Al-Majdalawi pointed out that 154 children have died from malnutrition. More than 51,000 children are receiving treatment for diseases related to hunger and lack of essential nutrients in their diet. And, he told the Canary that food and medicine insecurity threatens the lives of tens of thousands every day.
He further explained that the Israeli aggression has caused indescribable family tragedies. Around 77 children per day have lost one of their parents since the start of the war. Around 16 miscarriages are recorded daily due to the lack of medical care and the destruction of hospitals. He also added that 1,015 infants under the age of six weeks have died since the start of the war, while 450 foetuses have been lost in their mothers’ wombs as a result of the siege and lack of health services, at a time when recorded miscarriages have exceeded 12,000 cases.
He also pointed out that more than 500,000 children have been deprived of education for the second consecutive school year, after most schools were destroyed or converted into shelters for displaced persons, warning that:
an entire generation is threatened with intellectual and psychological loss.
Al-Majdalawi explained that 40,000 children need milk every day and 107,000 children need alternative food, while the available quantities cover “a small portion that does not exceed 10% of the actual need.” He stressed that:
children today live on the crumbs of humanitarian aid that does not arrive regularly.
Crisis beyond crisis
On another note, he warned of the escalation of psychological crises among children due to scenes of killing, destruction and loss of loved ones, calling for the urgent establishment of psychological support centres and safe shelters for affected families.
He revealed that around 5,200 wounded children need urgent medical evacuation to receive treatment outside Gaza, noting that ‘delaying their transfer means condemning them to a slow death.’
Al-Majdalawi concluded by emphasising that:
the children of Gaza are living on the brink of humanitarian annihilation, while the world stands by and watches a tragedy that is destroying childhood and killing hope for a secure future.
Featured image via the Canary
