GENEVA, October 10, 2025 (WAFA) – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Friday called for all crossings into Gaza to be opened to allow food aid to flow freely into the war-devastated territory, warning that child deaths could surge due to severely weakened immune systems.
“The situation is critical,” said UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires. “We risk seeing a massive spike in child death, not only neonatal, but also infants, given their immune systems are more compromised than ever before.”
UNICEF said at least 50,000 children in Gaza are at imminent risk of acute malnutrition and require urgent treatment. The agency stressed that nutritional support is its top priority at this stage.
Pires warned that many children have gone without proper food—or any food at all—for extended periods. This has left them unable to cope with basic illnesses, changing weather, or virus outbreaks due to their severely depleted immunity.
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