UNRWA Chief Voices fears that malnutrition children can die in the Gaza City operation
“If there is no crisis plan, then they (children suffering from malnutrition) will certainly be condemned,” said Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini.
On Thursday, the head of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency expressed his concern that children suffering from malnutrition in Gaza would die if the emergency provisions are not immediately put in place during the military operation of Israel in the city of Gaza.
The UNRWA General Commissioner Philippe Lazzarini said his data had shown a six -time increase in the number of children with malnutrition in Gaza City since March.
“We have an extremely low population who will face a new major military operation,” he told a press in Geneva of the press. “Many will simply not have the strength to undergo a new trip.”
“If there is no crisis plan, then they (children suffering from malnutrition) will certainly be condemned,” he said, addressing the public in French.
Israel denies famine allegations in Gaza
Israel refuted the Palestinian famine claims in the Gaza Strip, declaring that Hamas was behind the “deliberate and deceptive” publication of data, in a report published by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) earlier this month.
A view of military vehicles on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza, as we can see from Israel, August 12, 2025. (Credit: Reuters / Ammar Awad)
According to Cogat, Hamas depicts Gazan patients with serious pre -existing conditions as having died from malnutrition, saying that it was part of a coordinated Hamas campaign “to discredit the state of Israel and carry out political gains”.
The cogat examination would have found a gap between the deaths awarded to malnutrition as reported by the Gaza Ministry of Health managed by Hamas, and documented cases published with details in the media and social media.
The Cogat examination said that the Gaza Ministry of Health has not published the names of these deceased, as has traditionally done in the past. For example, on July 19, Hamas announced 18 deaths linked to malnutrition and on July 22, 15 others, but the Cogat survey only identified a handful of cases, adding that it raises a doubt about their credibility.
