Child malnutrition in the Gaza Strip continues to rise at an alarming rate today. A crisis exacerbated by the Israeli military offensive against the northern part of the territory, UNICEF denounced.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned in a statement released in Ramallah that the percentage of children identified as severely malnourished rose to 13.5 percent in August, up from 8.3 percent in July.
In northern Gaza City, the percentage was even higher, at 19 percent. Compared to 16 percent in July, it emphasized.
The agency warned that in absolute numbers, 12,800 children were identified as severely malnourished last month. Despite the fact that far fewer were examined due to the closure of 10 outpatient treatment centers in the north due to the attacks.
In July, 13,000 children were identified, with much greater screening capacity and significantly less military activity negatively impacting access to malnutrition screening.
UNICEF indicated that the proportion of children admitted for treatment suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), the deadliest form, has continued to rise since the beginning of the year.
In August, 23 percent of children admitted for treatment suffered from SAM, up from 12 percent six months earlier. In August, one in five children in Gaza City was diagnosed with acute malnutrition and needed nutritional support, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell warned.
She criticized the ground offensive against Gaza City for the consequences for the population.
With limited or nonexistent shelters and services, the ongoing escalation has led to disproportionate civilian casualties and fueled the near-total collapse of the remaining lifelines children need to survive, she stated.
Russell noted that, in addition to infants, pregnant women are particularly affected by insufficient food intake.
Moreover with health professionals forced to reduce nutrition services and little ongoing support available. The risks to both mothers and babies are extreme, she warned.
According to UNICEF, one in five babies is born prematurely or underweight in the Gaza Strip.
Also the organization called for more aid to enter the besieged Palestinian territory and the rehabilitation of the health system to “maintain and revive essential services, including primary care.”
With information from Prensa Latina
Translated by Aliani Rojas Fernandez
- UNICEF Denounces Alarming Rise in Child Malnutrition in Gaza - 12 de September de 2025
- Holguin Announces New Voices of Poetry Award 2025 - 12 de September de 2025
- Díaz-Canel Recognizes Work of Electrical Workers - 12 de September de 2025