The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that the rate of child malnutrition in the Gaza Strip last August was devastating, surpassing the record figure of last July.

UNICEF added that examinations showed one in every five children suffering from severe malnutrition, amid the escalating military offensive in Gaza City. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health announced the death of seven Palestinians over the past 24 hours due to famine and malnutrition, including one child, raising the total number of malnutrition-related deaths to 411, among them 142 children.

Since March 2, the occupation has closed all crossings leading into Gaza, blocking humanitarian aid, which has plunged the Strip into famine despite the accumulation of aid trucks at its borders.