Israeli ceasefire violations continue in Gaza as the World Health Organization warns that more than 100,000 children and tens of thousands of pregnant and lactating women could face acute malnutrition by April 2026.
Israeli occupation forces continued to violate the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as the World Health Organization warned that more than 100,000 children and 37,000 pregnant and lactating women could suffer from acute malnutrition by April 2026.
Israeli artillery shelling and heavy helicopter gunfire targeted areas where occupation forces are positioned west of Rafah, Al-Jazeera reported on Monday. Israeli airstrikes also struck zones of deployment east of Khan Yunis and Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
Despite ongoing discussions about a second phase of the agreement, Israel has continued to evade its commitments, including maintaining the ceasefire and allowing the entry of agreed quantities of food, medical aid, and shelter materials.
WHO:
100,000 children and 37,000 pregnant women will continue suffering from malnutrition until April 2026 due to Israeli policy of using food as a means of collective punishment. pic.twitter.com/HK4cCib9jt
— Motasem A Dalloul (@AbujomaaGaza) December 21, 2025
The agreement brought to an end a genocidal war launched by Israel on October 7, 2023, which lasted nearly two years and resulted in the killing of approximately 71,000 Palestinians and the wounding of more than 171,000 others.
The assault caused widespread devastation, with around 90 percent of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure damaged or destroyed. The United Nations has estimated reconstruction costs at roughly $70 billion.
Warnings and Concerns
On the humanitarian front, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned that progress in addressing famine in Gaza remains “very fragile.” He said more than 100,000 children and 37,000 pregnant and lactating women are at risk of acute malnutrition by April 2026.
“The perverse and prolonged suffering must end.”
As 1.6 million people in Gaza face extreme levels of acute food insecurity and malnutrition,@antonioguterres says the ceasefire must be fully implemented and the endless cycle of violence must be broken.https://t.co/q04eXPJm54 pic.twitter.com/tIYXXcVhgI
— United Nations (@UN) December 19, 2025
His remarks followed the release of a UN Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report, which found that at least 1.6 million people in Gaza face severe acute food insecurity through mid-April. The report warned that renewed fighting or further restrictions on aid could push the entire territory into famine.
Ghebreyesus also noted that only half of Gaza’s health facilities are partially operational, amid acute shortages of medical supplies and equipment, stressing the urgent need for unrestricted access for medical aid to expand life-saving services.
(PC, AJA)
