Families in Gaza facing despair as malnutrition leads to child deaths, endangering more lives
In the Gaza Strip, a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions is unfolding, characterised by widespread famine, malnutrition, and starvation. The United Nations and humanitarian groups have warned that this situation is a man-made famine, demanding urgent action.
Between June and July, the number of admissions for malnutrition nearly doubled, with 11,877 cases reported in July, compared to 6,344 in June. This alarming rise has left nearly the entire population of about 2.2 million people facing high levels of acute food insecurity. Approximately one-quarter of Gaza’s population is enduring catastrophic conditions marked by extreme hunger and the risk of starvation.
The primary causes of this crisis include Israeli blockades and restrictions on aid, destruction of infrastructure and livelihoods, inefficient and dangerous distribution mechanisms, the collapse of health services, repeated displacement and shelter shortages, and inefficiencies in government aid schemes.
Since the outbreak of conflict in late 2023, Israeli authorities have imposed near-total blockades on food, fuel, and essential humanitarian supplies entering Gaza. From March through mid-May 2025, a complete blockade on humanitarian food deliveries was enforced, causing a rapid rise in malnutrition. Although eased somewhat since May, only limited aid has trickled in, often blocked or delayed at crossing points.
The destruction of Gaza's infrastructure, with 70% of it damaged, including health facilities and sanitation systems, has worsened access to clean water, food storage, and healthcare. Repeated displacement due to airstrikes and insecurity has deprived many families of stable homes and sources of income, increasing dependency on aid.
Recent Israeli government aid schemes have involved distributions with private security firms that caused chaos and civilian casualties, reducing the ability of vulnerable groups, including children, to access aid safely. The near-total collapse of Gaza’s health system impedes treatment of malnutrition and disease. Over 20,000 children have been treated for acute malnutrition, and malnutrition rates among pregnant and breastfeeding women have increased sharply, endangering maternal and infant health.
More than a million people require emergency shelter, but no relief materials have been allowed since early March. Overcrowded and deteriorating shelters exacerbate vulnerability to the ongoing crisis.
As a result, acute malnutrition rates have tripled for children under five in areas like Gaza City, with 1 in 5 children now acutely malnourished. Mortality due to malnutrition is rising but remains difficult to confirm due to the collapsed health system.
Ibrahim al-Najjar, a former taxi driver, lost his 5-year-old son, Naim, to malnutrition amid Gaza's humanitarian crisis in March 2024. His 10-year-old son, Farah, is now at risk of suffering a similar fate. Amira Muteir, a resident of Gaza, pleaded with the world to come to the rescue, stating that her emaciated baby, Ammar, is at risk of death due to malnutrition.
Amira Muteir often waits hours at a hospital for a fortified solution for her malnourished baby. In desperation, she sometimes has to give her baby polluted water due to a severe shortage of clean sources.
The conflict in Gaza has made basic foods like bread, rice, fruit, and vegetables inaccessible for the Najjar family. Naim's older brother, Adnan, is now the caregiver for the family and searches for a soup kitchen each day to provide food. Najwa, Naim's mother, expressed her desperation for food, saying she doesn't have salt at home and begs for a grain of salt.
At least 193 Palestinians, including 96 children, have died of malnutrition and starvation in the Gaza Strip since the war began. Five more people died of malnutrition and starvation in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.
There is currently no sign of a cease-fire on the horizon, despite Israel's military chief pushing back against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to seize areas of Gaza not already under Israeli control. The situation in Gaza demands immediate action from the international community to prevent further loss of life and suffering.
- The humanitarian crisis in Gaza, characterized by malnutrition, famine, and starvation, is a result of multiple factors, including Israeli blockades and restrictions on aid, destruction of infrastructure and livelihoods, inefficient distribution mechanisms, the collapse of health services, and repeated displacement.
- Since the conflict in Gaza, Israeli authorities have enforced near-total blockades on essential supplies like food, fuel, and humanitarian aid, causing a rapid rise in malnutrition rates.
- The collapse of Gaza’s health system reduces the ability to treat malnutrition and disease, with over 20,000 children treated for acute malnutrition since the crisis began.
- The international community must take immediate action to prevent further loss of life and suffering in the Gaza Strip, where more than a million people require emergency shelter and at least 193 Palestinians, including 96 children, have died of malnutrition and starvation since the war began.
