UNRWA chief voices fear malnourished children could die in Gaza City operation

"If there is no crisis plan, then they (the children suffering from malnutrition) will certainly be condemned," Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said.

The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency on Thursday voiced concern that children suffering from malnutrition in Gaza would die if emergency provisions are not immediately put in place during Israel's Gaza City military operation.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that its data showed a six-fold increase in the number of children suffering from malnutrition in Gaza City since March.

"We have a population that is extremely weak that will be confronted with a new major military operation," he told a Geneva press club meeting. "Many will simply not have the strength to undergo a new displacement."

"If there is no crisis plan, then they (the children suffering from malnutrition) will certainly be condemned," he said, addressing the audience in French.

Israel denies claims of starvation in Gaza

Israel refuted the claims of starvation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, stating that Hamas was behind “deliberate and misleading” publication of data, in a report published by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) earlier this month.

According to COGAT, Hamas portrays Gazan patients with severe pre-existing conditions as having died from malnutrition, saying that this was part of a coordinated campaign by Hamas “to discredit the State of Israel and achieve political gains.”

COGAT’s review reportedly found a gap between the deaths attributed to malnutrition as reported by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, and the cases documented and published with details in media and social media.

COGAT's review said that the Gaza Health Ministry did not release the names of these deceased, as it had traditionally done in the past. For example, on July 19, Hamas announced 18 malnutrition-related deaths, and on July 22, another 15, but COGAT's probe identified only a handful of cases, adding that this raises doubt about their credibility.