In the past three months, a third of the Gaza population (714,000 people) has been forced to move once again, separating families and driving local support systems.

Women and girls wear a heavy burden, fearing their lives on the street – at delivery points and overcrowded makeshift shelters that lack intimacy and safety – like many sleep outdoors.

“Women have suffered an immense loss, including the death or imprisonment of parents. In search of water, living without intimacy and constantly worrying – it is exhausting, “said a worker from Unfpa.

Many young girls are also pushed into child labor and have forced marriage in efforts to deal with devastating hunger.

Safe spaces in large demand

In response to this crisis on Wednesday, the UNFPA reported a strong increase in victims asking for help in their safe spaces, which provide shelter and psychological support.

However, according to women who work there – many of whom are also moved, the conditions are extremely difficult, and there are far too few facilities for the number of women and children in need, which makes it difficult to reach the most at risk.

For example, travel commands disturbed the services and have lost essential equipment and files, forcing them to restart operations from zero.

Even if the staff receives mistreatment accounts, incidents remain largely under-declared due to the stigma, fear of reprisals and the collapse of health and justice systems.

“Despite all the difficulties, I continue to support women and abused girls,” Asmaa said, who works in a safe space supported by the UNFPA in Gaza and has been moved ten times since the war.

Severe and fuel fuel intake

Fuel shortages are paralyzing critical infrastructure across Gaza. The UN has warned that humanitarian operations can collapse entirely and that 80% of health establishments should lack fuel in the coming days.

While the UNFPA tries to switch to a remote support, the fuel shortages have sparked telecommunications breakdowns, cut the hotlines of survivor and rendered a largely inaccessible distance assistance.

Since the blockade was imposed on March 7, no agency supply has entered Gaza, leaving essential items such as severely exhausted menstrual hygiene kits.

Due to these shortages, three UNFPA safe spaces have closed, while the other 14 operate at a very limited capacity.

Despite the many challenges, the reproductive health agency and its cases continue to do their best to help women and girls. “We feel the urgent needs of women and recognize the importance of supporting them. A little effort can make a big difference in their lives, ”said a social worker.

At least 24 boys, 11 girls and two pregnant women would have been among the victims of violence, which occurred during the weekend in the communities of the city of Bara, including the villages of Shag Alnom and Hilat Hamid.

Unicef Fear that with dozens of more injured and still very disappeared, the number of victims of children could increase more.

“A complete contempt for human life”

“These attacks are an outrage,” said executive director Catherine Russell a declaration issued Tuesday.

“They represent a terrifying escalation of violence and a complete contempt for human life, international humanitarian law and the most fundamental principles of humanity.”

The former allies have become rivals – the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) and the paramilitary support forces (RSF) – have been fighting for control of the country since April 2023 and the fights have recently intensified in the Kordofan region which includes three states.

Put an end to violence now

“UNICEF condemns attacks in the strongest possible terms,” said Russell.

It called on all parties to end violence immediately and to maintain their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, as well as the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution.

The head of UNICEF stressed that civilians – especially children – should never be targeted. In addition, all alleged violations must be the subject of an independent investigation and those responsible for accounting.

“” Impunity cannot be tolerated for violations of international law, especially when children’s life is at stake“She said.

Ms. Russell extended the agency’s largest condolences to the families of the victims and to any person affected by this heinous violence.

“” No child should never live such horrors“She said.” The violence against children is unacceptable and must end now. »»

People affected by orders were invited to move to the coastal strip “already overcrowded” in Al Mawasi, according to the United Nations Bureau for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ochha), Tuesday evening.

Al Mawasi near Khan Younis is missing “the basics of survival,” insisted the United Nations agency. He also experienced nearly two dozen strikes on displaced gasans reflected in tents between March 18 and April 11, the United Nations Human Rights Office said.

While the war drags well in its 21st month, the most vulnerable people in Gaza continue to fight to survive.

Emergency dialysis

They understand Musbah Zaqqout, 70, one of the 230 patients receiving vital dialysis at the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Its treatment was disrupted by persistent supply shortages which reduced the sessions from three to two per week at the end of last month, the United Nations World Organization (WHO) warned Tuesday.

“He suffered a lot when dialysis was not available,” said Mr. Zaqout’s wife Saadia. “It is enough and was often admitted to the hospital, to the point where he fell into a coma, lost the accent and recognized anyone. »»

With the support of the KS Relief partner organization, which has delivered dialysis and fuel supplies for the Al-Shifa hospital, so that it can resume the treatment of dialysis and other rescue services.

“Thank goodness, after restarting dialysis, her condition has improved,” said Ms. Zaqqout, While the United Nations health agency has reiterated its calls to a sustained entry of food, fuel and health aid at the scale of all possible routes.

“Critical shortages of fuel and medical supplies persist across Gaza,” warned. “Without urgent and supported replenishment, health services are likely to stop.”

Children’s malnutrition tragedy

Echoing these concerns, the United Nations Agency for Palestinians, UNRWAwarned Wednesday that it is increasingly difficult to help Gazans. Already, one in 10 of the children brought to his clinics suffer from malnutrition. The condition was unknown in the enclave before the war, but it more than doubled in children under the age of five between March and June, in the middle of the Israeli seat almost total.

“It becomes more and more difficult for us to continue to provide services,” said Louise Waterridge of UNRWA. “At least 188 UNRWA installations-more than half of all our installations in the Gaza Strip-are located in the Israeli-militarized area, under travel orders, or where these overlaps.”

In an update, Ms. Waterridge said that only six UNRWA health centers and 22 of the agency’s medical points remain operational today, in addition to 22 mobile medical points inside and outside the shelters.

According to the United Nations agency, almost 60% of essential medical supplies are now out of stock. “Children die before our eyes because we do not have medical supplies or sustained foods to treat them,” he said.

Key drugs are exhausted

Consequently direct of the Israeli blockade on Gaza which started on March 2, UNRWA said that it had ” Now, short of “drugs for high blood pressure, antiparasitic and antifungal medicine, drugs for eye infections and inflammation, all skin treatments and oral antibiotics for adults.

Providing water specific to the warpart by war remains a massive challenge and only two main water wells of UNRWA still work. Ten were operational before the war. 41 Other small wells are operational in UNRWA shelters.

In the past two months in North Gaza, UNRWA has been forced to stop providing water and sanitation services to around 25,000 people displaced in shelters, due to travel orders issued by Israeli forces.

“Restrictions on fuel entry continue to place rescue services at a serious risk,” said the United Nations Agency. “Water critical services are at risk of closing if sustained fuel supplies are not allowed.”

Juliette Touma, communications director of the United Nations Agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWAVisited Gaza several times during and before the war and thought about the children she met there and in other areas of conflict.

“Adam has been in my mind lately, more than usual.

I met Adam years ago in the Yemenite port city of Hudaydah, at the time under siege and heavy bombardment. In the very poor district of the hospital, there were Adam, 10, weighing a little more than 10 kilograms. He couldn’t speak, he couldn’t cry. Everything he could do was to make a hoarse sound of breathing. A few days later, Adam died of malnutrition.

Deadly malnutrition

A few years before that, my colleague Hanaa called from Syria late at night. She was in tears and could barely say a word. Hanaa finally told me that Ali, a 16 -year -old boy died. In yet another besieged city, taken in a war and not of its manufacture, he was also dead of malnutrition.

The next morning, my supervisor, an epidemiologist, said: “For a 16 -year -old boy, dying of malnutrition, says a lot. He is practically a man. This means that there is no food at all in this part of Syria. ”

Back in Yemen in one of the rare hospitals for functional children in the Sanaa capital, I walked in the children’s district during the top of a cholera epidemic. Boys aged 15 and 16 have trouble staying alive.

They were so weak and emaciated that they could barely turn into their beds.

These images and stories haunted me over the years as they have done for many of us who have worked in severe hunger or situations of famine.

Mortal hunger grows in Gaza

In 2022, when I had the great pleasure of returning and leaving Gaza, I visited the children in the UNRWA schools. Immaculation dressed, healthy, smiling, eager to learn, jumping from top to bottom in the school field to the sound of music.

At the time, Gaza was already under a blockade for more than 15 years. Food was however available on the markets by imports via Israel and locally farmed products. UNRWA also provided food aid to more than a million people.

Images of Adam and Ali were quickly pushed to the back of my memory until a few weeks ago, when they suddenly reappear.

Babies can survive, but will they do it?

Our Gaza teams began to send alarming photos of emaciated babies. Malnutrition rates increase rapidly, spreading through the Gaza strip. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 50 children have died in malnutrition since the start of the siege on March 2.

UNRWA has projected more than 242,000 children into the agency’s clinics and medical points through the war torn by the war, covering more than half of children under the age of five in Gaza. One in 10 in 10 children is poorly nourished.

Ahlam has seven months. His family has been moved every month since the start of the war, looking for non -existent security. Shocked and her body weakens, the Ahlam is seriously poorly nourished. Like many babies in Gaza, its immune system has been damaged by trauma, constant forced displacement, lack of clean water, poor hygiene and very little food.

Ahlam can survive, but will it do it?

Rare bombs and supplies

There are very few therapeutic supplies to treat children with malnutrition because the bases are rare in Gaza. The Israeli authorities have imposed a tight seat blocking the entry of food, medication, medical supplies and nutritional and hygiene materials, including soap.

While the headquarters are sometimes attenuated, UNRWA (the largest humanitarian organization in Gaza) has not been authorized to provide humanitarian assistance since March 2.

Last week, Salam, another baby suffering from malnutrition, died. She was a few months old. When she finally reached the UNRWA clinic, it was too late.

Meanwhile, eight children queue for therapeutic support against malnutrition were killed when Israeli forces hit the clinic in which they were. One of my colleagues who led to the clinic a few minutes later told me that she had seen mothers looking in the abyss, crying in silence, just like Adam.

How many babies should die before the world takes measures?

Why should babies die of malnutrition in the 21st century, especially when it is completely avoidable?

At UNRWA, we have more than 6,000 food trucks, hygiene supplies and drugs outside Gaza while waiting for the green light to between.

Help will mainly help little girls like Ahlam. UNRWA also has more than 1,000 health workers who can provide boys and girls with specialized nutritional services.

In the middle of the daily distribution of horrors that we get Gaza on our screens, we can’t help but ask how many Hlam and salam must die before acting?

How long until a ceasefire is reached for bombs to stop falling on emaciated and dying children? »»