The UN’s children’s agency, Unicef, has warned that in the coming weeks, at least 10,000 children in Gaza under the age of five will suffer the “most life-threatening form of malnutrition” and will require emergency food supplements.

In a statement released on X (formerly Twitter), Unicef also expressed concerns for the health of more than 155,000 pregnant and breast-feeding Palestinian women, as well as more than 135,000 children under the age of two, who are inside the besieged Gaza Strip where food and health systems are in the process of “complete collapse”.

“We need an immediate and long-lasting humanitarian ceasefire so that humanitarian actors can support the strengthening and restoring of essential services across the Gaza Strip,” Unicef said in a statement.

“We need the restoration of critical infrastructure, including hospitals, so young children, pregnant women and injured patients can safely access life-saving treatment and care,” it said.