Aid agencies appeal for famine relief for Gazans

GAZA, July 19 (KUNA) -- Several government, trade unions and civil society organizations in Palestine appealed for the international community to open humanitarian corridors into Gaza Strip and help deliver urgent life-saving assistances to the residents trapped in the conflict.
Famine and acute malnutrition have reached unprecedented levels in the Strip, putting in jeopardy thousands of lives, particularly children, the media office of Gaza government said in an urgent appeal on Saturday.
The humanitarian disaster is getting out of control with huge numbers of people in dire need of food and medical assistances, the statement stressed.
Meanwhile, the health authorities said in a press release that the number of child mortalities due to malnutrition topped 68.
Due to rampant famine, the casualty sections at hospitals across Gaza governorates register unprecedented numbers of people suffering from syncope related to hypoglycemia, the statement noted.
Meanwhile, the UNRWA said that between July 7 and 13, its medical teams provided 5,400 consultations for post-natal and pregnant women at high risk, 3,126 dental and oral health consultations in fixed and mobile clinics, and 2,087 physiotherapy rehabilitation services sessions in health centres and medical points.
"Nutritional assessments are being conducted in UNRWA health centres and medical points reaching children from six to 59 months of age," the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East noted in a press release. Between June 16 and 30, 10,638 children were screened for malnutrition, with over 8.5 percent presenting with some form of malnutrition. Overall, since January 2024, more than 240,000 children under the age of five have been screened for malnutrition in UNRWA health facilities and medical points. One in 10 children were malnourished, the statement regretted.
In a tweet on its X account, the UN agency reported that Salam - a female child under 7 months old, received emergency treatment from its health teams yesterday, but "sadly she died later in the day." "She is one of thousands of malnourished children in Gaza. More cases are detected every day," according to the tweet. (end) wab.gb