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STORY: GAZA / CHILDREN MALNUTRITION
TRT: 06:12
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 1 JANUARY 2025, AL-MAWASI AREA, WEST OF KHAN YOUNIS, GAZA STRIP / WEST OF DEIR AL-BALAH CITY, GAZA STRIP
1 JANUARY 2025, AL-MAWASI AREA, WEST OF KHAN YOUNIS, GAZA STRIP
1. Various shots, UNICEF-supported medical clinic, Al-Mawasi area
2. Various shots, Palestinian women and children seeking medical checkups for malnutrition
3. Various shots, medical staff conducting examinations for children suffering from malnutrition
4. Various shots, Fathiya Odeh with her daughter during a medical checkup
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Fathiya Odeh, Palestinian:
"I came here because my daughter suffers from malnutrition. I sought treatment for her and was referred to the Ard Al-Insan Association (supported by UNICEF). They examined her and found she has moderate malnutrition. They are now monitoring her condition."
6. Various shots, Fathiya Odeh with her daughter during a medical checkup
7. Various shots, medical staff conducting examinations for children suffering from malnutrition
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohammed Al-Agha, doctor:
"We are at the medical point in the Zaarab camp in the Mawasi area west of Khan Younis, supported by UNICEF. Here, we follow up on children’s nutritional needs. In this camp, we have around 200 cases of acute and chronic malnutrition. We monitor these cases weekly, and if mothers fail to show up, we contact them for follow-ups. This entire process is fully supported by UNICEF to ensure the well-being of the children when families are unable to follow up."
9. Various shots, medical staff examining children suffering from malnutrition
10. Various shots, Palestinian women and children seeking medical checkups for malnutrition
1 JANUARY 2025, WEST OF DEIR AL-BALAH CITY, GAZA STRIP
11. Various shots, displaced persons camps
12. Various shots, displaced persons’ center, family of malnourished child
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic), Misk Al-Madhoun’s mother, Palestinian:
"The reason behind my daughter's condition is displacement. We fled from the north to Rafah and then to Deir Al-Balah, where we lived in a tent. My daughter's fever would reach 40 degrees daily. We took her to the American Hospital every day because of the fever, and they would prescribe paracetamol before sending us away. Her malnutrition worsened due to prolonged displacement, lack of food, and financial hardship since my husband's work stopped during the war. Before the war, our situation was better, but now he can't find work or provide for us, which led to my daughter's malnutrition."
12. Various shots, family of malnourished child
In the Gaza Strip, dozens of Palestinians flock to a local medical clinic run by the Ard Al-Insan Association, supported by UNICEF, to receive medical check-ups for their malnourished children.
The children show clear signs of severe malnutrition.
Fatheya Ouda, one of the mothers, came with her child to seek treatment.
"I came here because my daughter suffers from malnutrition," says Fatheya.
"They referred me to the Ard Al-Insan Association, supported by UNICEF, where my daughter was examined and diagnosed with moderate malnutrition. They are now regularly monitoring her condition."
Dr. Mohammad Al-Agha, the physician overseeing the medical center, elaborates on their efforts: "Here at the medical center located at the Zouroub camp in the Mawasi area, we follow up on children suffering from malnutrition. We currently have approximately 200 cases of severe and chronic malnutrition. We conduct weekly follow-ups and contact families if they miss their appointments, thanks to the comprehensive support from UNICEF."
Away from the clinic, in one of the displacement centers in western Deir al-Balah, young Misk Al-Madhoun lives with her family, showing signs of acute malnutrition. Misk's mother shares their story of suffering: "We were displaced from the north to Rafah and then to Deir al-Balah, forcing us to live in a tent. My daughter suffered daily from high fevers, and we used to take her to the American hospital, which only provided basic painkillers. With the ongoing displacement, food shortages, and my husband’s unemployment due to the war, my daughter’s health deteriorated until she developed acute malnutrition."
By the end of August 2024, the United Nations revealed that nearly 15,000 children in the Gaza Strip suffer from malnutrition, including 2,288 children with "severe acute malnutrition," following the screening of approximately 240,000 children in the region.
Displaced families report weakened immunity among their children due to hunger and malnutrition, increasing their vulnerability to cold waves.
Indeed, the number of deaths among the displaced due to freezing temperatures has risen in recent days, with seven fatalities recorded, including six children, most of whom were newborns.
