WHO: Danger of famine in Gaza Strip not over
Published: Friday, May 3rd 2024, 12:41
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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is now slightly more food available in the Gaza Strip. However, a famine has not yet been averted, said Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO representative for the Palestinian territories, on Friday.
An Israeli military operation against the Islamist Hamas has been underway in the coastal area since the fall - in response to a large-scale terrorist attack by the extremists in Israel on October 7.
As the WHO reported, more than 40 severely malnourished children under the age of five have been brought to hospitals with additional health problems since March. Some two-year-olds only weighed around four kilograms - the normal weight is ten to 14 kilograms. Before the outbreak of fighting in October, malnutrition was practically non-existent in the Gaza Strip.
The consequences of malnutrition cannot be eliminated in a short time with more food, said Peeperkorn. "We will feel the consequences for years," he said. "We cannot say that the risk of famine is no longer there," said Ahmed Dahir, the doctor who heads the WHO office in Gaza. Peeperkorn was in Jerusalem, Dahir in Gaza. They spoke to reporters in Geneva via video link.
According to the Palestinian authorities, a total of around 25 malnourished children have died in recent weeks. Peeperkorn emphasized that these children had not starved to death, but that malnutrition had contributed to the complications that ultimately led to their deaths.
The information provided by the Palestinian authorities cannot be independently verified. However, the UN authorities point out that the information provided by these authorities has been reliable in the past.
©Keystone/SDA
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