Urgent: Over 54,600 Children Starving in Gaza Amid Crisis

UPDATE: New reports confirm that over 54,600 preschool-age children in Gaza are facing dire starvation levels due to ongoing conflict and humanitarian aid blockades. The alarming findings, published in The Lancet and led by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), reveal that more than 12,800 children are classified as “severely” malnourished.

The situation is critical, with officials warning that without an immediate ceasefire and sustained international aid, the number of deaths among children will rise sharply. Dr. Akihiro Seita, the UNRWA Director of Health, emphasized the urgency, stating, “Deterioration in early childhood nutrition with increased mortality are inevitable.”

This crisis comes two years after the devastating October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas, which set off relentless retaliatory strikes and humanitarian blockades in Gaza. The ongoing conflict has resulted in over 67,000 Palestinian deaths, prompting widespread international condemnation, including claims of genocide by a UN commission and various humanitarian organizations.

The UN has officially declared a famine in Gaza City, attributing it entirely to human actions. Dr. Masako Horino, a nutrition epidemiologist at UNRWA, noted that while children were slightly underweight before the war, access to food aid prevented severe malnutrition. The current conditions, however, have led to tens of thousands of young children suffering from preventable acute malnutrition, significantly increasing their risk of mortality.

The Lancet study reviewed medical examinations of nearly 220,000 children aged 6 months to under 5 years from January 2024 to August 2025. The researchers assessed malnutrition through “wasting,” where a child is too thin for their height. This condition compromises their immune systems, heightening the risk of infections that can lead to death.

The findings indicate a stark rise in malnutrition correlating with severe aid restrictions. From September 2024 to January 2025, and again from March to May 2025, the prevalence of severe malnutrition surged from 4.7% at the beginning of the surveillance period to 14.3% by January 2025, reflecting the drastic impact of reduced humanitarian assistance.

During a brief ceasefire in early 2025, aid levels increased and malnutrition rates dropped to 5.5%, but subsequent blockades have exacerbated the crisis. The latest data from August 2025 shows that 15.8% of children are suffering from acute malnutrition, with 3.7% severely malnourished.

These statistics translate to an estimated 54,600 children in Gaza facing malnutrition, with over 12,800 at severe risk and little hope for recovery due to inadequate aid and crippled healthcare services.

The international community is urged to act swiftly. Without immediate intervention, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is set to worsen, putting the lives of countless children at stake.

Stay tuned for further updates on this developing crisis as the world watches closely.