Gaza, July 20, 2025: Malnutrition in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels, with the United Nations warning that tens of thousands of children and women urgently need treatment as humanitarian aid continues to trickle into the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Gaza’s civil defence agency has reported a disturbing rise in infant deaths due to “severe hunger and malnutrition,” confirming at least three such fatalities in the past week alone. “These heartbreaking cases were not caused by airstrikes, but by starvation, the lack of infant formula, and the collapse of basic healthcare,” said agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal.
On the ground, the suffering is palpable. Ziad Musleh, a 45-year-old father displaced from northern Gaza to Nuseirat in the central region, told AFP, “We are dying. Our children are dying, and we are powerless to stop it. They go to sleep crying, in pain, with empty stomachs. There is no food. And when a little does appear in the market, the prices are impossible.”
At a UN-run shelter in a former school in Nuseirat, children banged empty plates in anticipation of food. Many bore the gaunt look of prolonged hunger. Among them was Umm Sameh Abu Zeina, her cheeks hollow from severe weight loss. “I’ve lost 35 kilos,” she said. “I don’t eat—I give my food to my daughter. I have high blood pressure and diabetes, but there’s nothing I can do.”
The crisis has been exacerbated by the skyrocketing cost of basic food items. According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the price of flour in Gaza is now 3,000 times higher than before the war began 21 months ago. “This is the worst I’ve ever seen,” said WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau after a recent visit to Gaza City. “People are starving while food sits just across the border.”
Following the collapse of ceasefire negotiations in March, Israel imposed a complete blockade on Gaza, halting all aid. Limited aid trucks were allowed entry again in late May, but supplies have remained drastically insufficient. “Our kitchens are empty,” said Skau. “They’re serving hot water with a few floating pieces of pasta.”
Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reports an unprecedented surge in malnutrition among Gaza’s most vulnerable. “We are seeing record numbers of severely malnourished patients,” said Dr. Joanne Perry of MSF. “Due to poor nutrition and unsafe water, many babies are born prematurely. Our neonatal unit is so overwhelmed that four or five newborns share a single incubator.”
Amina Wafi, a 10-year-old from Khan Yunis, said hunger consumes her thoughts. “I’m always hungry,” she said. “I keep asking my father for food, and he promises to bring me something—but there’s nothing. He simply can’t.”
MSF also noted that many patients are not recovering from wounds due to protein deficiencies. “Infections linger longer. Recovery is slow. Malnutrition weakens the body’s natural ability to heal,” the organization warned.
The humanitarian disaster is unfolding against the backdrop of continued conflict. According to an AFP tally based on official sources, Hamas’s October 2023 attack killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians. In retaliation, Israel’s military campaign has killed at least 58,895 Palestinians, the majority of whom were also civilians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. The UN has deemed these figures credible.
As the crisis worsens, aid agencies warn that unless immediate and unrestricted access is granted to humanitarian supplies, the suffering—and the death toll—will continue to rise. “This is not just a food crisis. It’s a crisis of humanity,” said Skau.
