Children’s malnutrition tripling in two weeks – MSF

It comes after MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, warned that 25 per cent of young children and pregnant women in Gaza are now malnourished. The charity said Israel’s “deliberate use of starvation as a weapon” has reached unprecedented levels. It said that at one of its clinics in Gaza City, rates of severe […]

It comes after MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, warned that 25 per cent of young children and pregnant women in Gaza are now malnourished.

The charity said Israel’s “deliberate use of starvation as a weapon” has reached unprecedented levels. It said that at one of its clinics in Gaza City, rates of severe malnutrition in children under five have tripled over the past two weeks.

MSF then described the lack of food and water on the ground as “unconscionable”.

In Gaza City’s Tel al-Hawa district, 30-year-old Suad Ishtaywi said her “life’s wish” was to simply feed her children. She spoke of her husband returning empty-handed from aid points daily.

“We hope the aid comes in today, because hunger is killing us day by day,” said 44-year-old Mohammed al-Daduh, also in Gaza City. “Egypt said it would send aid, but we don’t know if Israel will allow it in.”

In a statement to Sky News, an Israeli security official said that “despite the false claims that are being spread, the State of Israel does not limit the number of humanitarian aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip”.

It then blamed other groups for issues delivering aid. They said: “Over the past month, we have witnessed a significant decline in the collection of aid from the crossings into the Gaza Strip by international aid organisations. “The delays in collection by the UN and international organisations harm the situation and the food security of Gaza’s residents.”