Gaza faces a severe shortage of therapeutic food necessary for treating malnourished children, with UN agencies warning that supplies will run out by mid-August if not replenished. UNICEF has reported it only has enough Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food to treat 3,000 children, while 5,000 were treated in the first two weeks of July alone. Both UNICEF and the World Health Organization noted that critical malnutrition treatment programs may halt due to a lack of supplies. Israel's blockade has severely restricted aid to Gaza, causing food and medical shortages for the population.
"We are now facing a dire situation, that we are running out of therapeutic supplies," said Salim Oweis, a spokesperson for UNICEF in Amman, Jordan told Reuters on Thursday, saying supplies of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), a crucial treatment, would be depleted by mid-August if nothing changed.
"That's really dangerous for children as they face hunger and malnutrition at the moment," he added.
Oweis said UNICEF had only enough RUTF left to treat 3,000 children. In the first two weeks of July alone, UNICEF treated 5,000 children facing acute malnutrition in Gaza.
"Most malnutrition treatment supplies have been consumed and what is left at facilities will run out very soon if not replenished," a World Health Organization spokesperson said on Thursday.
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