Hunger is killing Gaza and its children, Firewood is a haven for the displaced to cook food

The human suffering of the residents of the Gaza Strip is worsening with the continuation of the Israeli war, as the World Health Organization has warned of hunger facing Gazans, especially children, as a result of the siege and lack of resources, while firewood volunteers have found an alternative to cook food and provide it to the displaced in light of the repercussions of the war.

Ghebreyesus confirmed in a blog post on his account on the social networking site X that there is hunger and famine in Gaza.

He explained: "People face hunger and sell their belongings in exchange for food. Mothers and fathers go hungry so that their children can eat, and this situation is disastrous for the health of people in the Gaza Strip."

Ghebreyesus stressed that the long-standing conflict has prevented access to needed food and other life-saving humanitarian assistance.

He pointed out that those displaced due to difficult conditions in the winter crowd into shelters, which will inevitably lead to an increase in the spread of diseases.

Ghebreyesus stressed that children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and the elderly are most at risk.

Ghebreyesus said: “The World Health Organization and its partners are calling for urgent improvement of food security by accelerating the flow of aid to Gaza to stop famine, and services such as health, clean water, sanitation and public hygiene must be restored.”

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For its part, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said that more than 80% of children in the Gaza Strip "suffer from acute food poverty."

The organization stated in a statement issued on Friday that its estimates “indicate that in the coming weeks at least 10,000 children under the age of five will suffer from malnutrition that will threaten their lives.”

She added that "more than 80% of children in Gaza suffer from severe food poverty."

She stated, "These results indicate that all 335,000 children under five in the Gaza Strip are at high risk of acute malnutrition and death, which could have been prevented had it not been for the continued increasing risk of famine."

She continued: "This unacceptable danger comes at a time when the food and health systems in the Gaza Strip are witnessing a complete collapse."

She noted that "more than two-thirds of hospitals are no longer functioning due to a lack of fuel, water, and vital medicines, or because they were exposed to catastrophic damage due to attacks."

UNICEF stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire in the Strip.

At the end of last October, UNICEF reported that more than 400 children were killed or injured every day in the Gaza Strip, which is exposed to an Israeli war.

Food on firewood

In the face of this, some people in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, volunteered to provide free food to the displaced, in light of the repercussions of the ongoing Israeli war.

These volunteers seek to alleviate the suffering of the displaced people whose homes were destroyed by Israeli raids, forcing them to move south from the northern areas of the Gaza Strip.

Volunteers brave the harsh conditions resulting from the war to feed the displaced to make ends meet in light of the food shortage and the siege imposed on the Strip.

The death toll in Gaza rises to 20,258 and UNRWA: There must be a ceasefire without conditions

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the toll of the Israeli aggression on the Strip had risen to 20,258 martyrs, and 53,688 wounded since October 7, while UNRWA called for an immediate and humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and the flow of aid without conditions.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Saturday that the toll of the Israeli aggression on the Strip had risen to “20,258 martyrs and 53,688 wounded” since last October 7.

The ministry reported, in a statement, that “201 martyrs and 368 injuries were recorded in the Gaza Strip during the last 24 hours.”

The previous toll announced by the Ministry of Health in Gaza on Friday was “20,57 martyrs and 53,320 wounded.”

Earlier Saturday, the government media office in Gaza announced that the total number of journalists martyred at the hands of the Israeli occupation army since the beginning of the war reached 100 journalists.

The government media announced, in a statement via Telegram: “The number of journalist martyrs has risen to 100 male and female journalists since the start of the brutal war on the Gaza Strip, after the death of the martyr journalist Muhammad Abu Huwaidi, in an (Israeli) occupation bombing in the Al-Shuja’iya neighborhood (east of Gaza City).” ".

In addition to the massive human losses, the devastating Israeli war on Gaza left huge infrastructure destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, according to official Palestinian sources.​​​​​​

UNRWA: There must be an immediate ceasefire

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on Saturday that “it is necessary to establish an immediate and humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the flow of aid without setting conditions for political negotiations.”

This came in a press conference held by UNRWA spokeswoman Tamara Al-Rifai, and the UN agency published its contents on its account on the “X” platform.

The UN official added, "It is extremely tragic that politics stands in the way of the survival of 2.2 million people in Gaza."

She stressed "the necessity of reaching an immediate and humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the flow of aid without setting conditions for political negotiations."

"No place is safe"

UNRWA also revealed that “the Israeli army is asking residents of the Gaza Strip to move to places where air strikes are ongoing.”

This came in a series of blog posts published by Thomas White, Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza, on the UN agency’s account via the “X” platform.

White added, "Gaza residents are human beings, not pieces on a chessboard, and many of them have already been displaced several times."

The UN official continued, "There is no place for people to go, no safe place."

He explained, "The Israeli authorities issued more evacuation orders for residents in the central region of Gaza to move to the city of Deir al-Balah, located in the center of the Strip, with the aim of expanding the ongoing military operation."

He stressed that "more than 150,000 people were affected by this matter, and the area was already crowded with displaced people, including UNRWA shelters."