On Friday, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) called for the opening of all crossings to allow food aid into Gaza, warning of the risk of increased child deaths due to weakened immunity.

The UN agency said it evacuated two of 18 newborns from a hospital in northern Gaza to reunite them with their fathers in the south.

The organization had suspended its attempt to transfer the two infants on Thursday amid ongoing Israeli military attacks on the city but later succeeded in reuniting them with their families.

UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Perez said at a press conference in Geneva, “We had 18 babies in incubators at the start of the week. Two were transferred on Thursday,” adding that the others remain in incubators awaiting Israeli security clearance.

Perez said, “The situation is critical. We face a sharp rise in child mortality, not only among newborns but also infants, as their immunity has become weaker than ever before.”

A senior UN official said on Thursday that the United Nations plans to intensify humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza, where some areas are suffering from famine, during the first 60 days of the ceasefire in the territory.

UNICEF confirmed that nutrition support is the top priority, with 50,000 children at risk of severe malnutrition needing immediate treatment.

Perez explained that children’s immunity is low because they “have not been properly fed, and recently, have not eaten at all for a very long time.”

He added, “Children need vitamins and proper nutrients to grow and adapt to temperature changes or virus outbreaks.”