Gaza’s Starving Children: Malnutrition Skyrockets Amidst Aid Blockade

UNICEF has managed to deliver hundreds of pallets of therapeutic foods and other nutritional supplies in recent weeks.

The Gaza Strip is facing a catastrophic nutrition emergency. In May 2025 alone, 5,119 children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years were admitted for treatment for acute malnutrition—marking a 50% increase from April and an alarming 150% surge since February, when a temporary ceasefire had allowed humanitarian aid to flow in at scale.

Among the children treated in May, 636 were diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition (SAM), the deadliest form of undernutrition. SAM not only requires continuous and careful medical treatment but also depends on access to safe water and stable healthcare infrastructure—resources that are vanishing rapidly under continued bombardments and blockades.

UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edouard Beigbeder, highlighted the gravity of the crisis, noting, “In just 150 days, 16,736 children have been admitted for treatment for malnutrition in Gaza—an average of 112 children every single day.” He emphasized that each of these cases is preventable and linked the crisis directly to man-made barriers impeding aid delivery.

Collapse of Health and Water Infrastructure Deepens the Crisis

The escalating malnutrition crisis in Gaza is compounded by the collapse of vital public health infrastructure. Of the 236 nutrition and treatment centers that once operated across Gaza, only 127 remain functional. Many have been shut down due to displacement orders or direct damage from military strikes.

Fuel shortages have further paralyzed humanitarian operations. The United Nations and its partners have nearly depleted their fuel reserves. Since the cessation of the February ceasefire, aid agencies have repeatedly been blocked from bringing in new fuel or accessing existing stocks within the enclave. Without fuel, water pumps stop working, hospitals cannot operate, and food storage becomes impossible.

In the absence of clean water, disease is spreading rapidly. Acute watery diarrhea now represents 25% of all reported illnesses in Gaza. Outbreaks of hepatitis A—highly contagious and potentially lethal, especially for children—are suspected and expected to grow with the onset of summer temperatures.

A Deadly Cycle of Malnutrition and Disease

Experts warn of a deadly feedback loop: children weakened by malnutrition are more susceptible to diseases like diarrhea and respiratory infections. In turn, illnesses exacerbate malnutrition by impairing nutrient absorption and increasing metabolic demands. The combined impact significantly raises mortality risk among already vulnerable children.

UNICEF has managed to deliver hundreds of pallets of therapeutic foods and other nutritional supplies in recent weeks. However, demand far outweighs supply. The stock of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF)—a critical lifeline for severely malnourished children—is now critically low.

Pleas for Humanitarian Access and Ceasefire

UNICEF and the broader humanitarian community are urgently calling for full, unhindered access to all entry points into Gaza. They stress the need for both humanitarian aid and commercial goods to enter through all crossings, and for safe and dignified distribution throughout the territory. The ongoing restrictions on aid delivery, they warn, are leading to entirely preventable deaths.

“This is an urgent warning,” Beigbeder stated. “Concerted action is immediately needed to stop starvation from escalating, malnutrition from rising, disease from spreading, water from running dry, and ultimately, to prevent mounting, wholly preventable child deaths.”

UNICEF is once again urging all parties to the conflict to:

End violence and respect the ceasefire

Protect civilians, especially children

Uphold international humanitarian and human rights law

Ensure immediate and sustained humanitarian aid access

Release all hostages

As conditions worsen daily, the world watches Gaza’s children slip deeper into a man-made humanitarian nightmare. Without immediate international intervention, the coming weeks could witness an even greater toll—measured not just in numbers, but in the lives of the youngest and most vulnerable.