Warehouses of the Ard El Insan Palestinian Benevolent Association in Deir al‑Balah remain crippled after an Israeli strike last week damaged the facilities, the Gaza‑based NGO said Monday.
Nearly all supplies stored inside the warehouses were destroyed, raising alarms about the humanitarian fallout amid rising needs in Gaza, Ard El Insan said. The facilities had contained specialized food and nutritional supplements for children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.
The NGO has been distributing the supplies under United Nations(UN)‑backed programs to combat malnutrition, as health and nutrition needs in Gaza have surged in recent months.
"The damage caused by the strike has reduced our stored supplies by 35 percent. This will consequently affect the health of mothers and children, who are among the most vulnerable groups in the Gaza Strip, especially amid the shortages we have faced over the past three years," said Wiam Siam, Ard El Insan's public relations director.
The loss of supplies has also impacted dozens of medical points across Gaza that rely on these nutritional resources, raising concerns that the disruption could hinder nutrition services for vulnerable women and children.
It comes as United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), in a latest survey, warned of chronic malnutrition, poor diets and illnesses among children in Gaza. More than 12 percent of children assessed were suffering from stunting, while more than half of pregnant women had severe anaemia amid acute food insecurity and inadequate nutrition.
"My daughter has been receiving treatment from Ard El-Insan since she was six months old. They provide us with nutritional supplements because she suffers from malnutrition, which causes her many health problems. My daughter’s condition has improved significantly since I started bringing her here for follow-up care. And now, a strike has hit next to the warehouses where these nutritional supplements are stored," said Ramouz Abu Daqqa, mother of a child suffering from malnutrition.
An October 2025 U.S.-backed ceasefire halted major fighting in Gaza but has not ended Israeli strikes. Israel says the attacks are aimed at thwarting threats from Hamas and other militants, while Hamas has accused Israel of repeatedly violating the truce.
Israeli attacks have killed at least 73,449 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 174,472 since October 2023, according to Gaza-based health authorities.
Israeli air-strike cripples Gaza NGO warehouses, UN programs disrupted
