A UN aid agency has warned that special food used to treat malnourished children in Gaza is running dangerously low. Salim Owais, spokesperson for UNICEF’s office in Jordan, said that Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) will run out across Gaza by mid-August. He described this as a very frightening situation for the malnourished children currently in Gaza.
RUTF, which is rich in energy and contains peanut paste enriched with dried milk and biscuits, is crucial for treating malnourished children. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that RUTF stocks in Gaza’s warehouses will quickly run out if not immediately replenished. Since March 2, following the genocide that Israel began on October 7, 2023, Gaza’s blockade has been tightened, obstructing the entry of food and humanitarian aid. As a result, Gaza’s children have been deprived of nutritious food.
Save the Children, an international aid organization for children, reported that the number of malnourished children in central Gaza areas is increasing. They’ve been relying on UN aid since February, unable to bring in RUTF themselves. An official from Save the Children said that if the UN’s main organization runs out of RUTF, it will negatively impact other organizations dependent on their aid.
UNICEF reported that from April to mid-July, a total of 20,504 children were admitted for malnutrition, with 3,247 in serious condition. This is nearly triple the number from the first three months of the year. The WHO stated on Wednesday that so far this year, 21 children under five were among those who died due to lack of nutrition.
