Gaza’s Health Ministry warned Friday that malnutrition has reached catastrophic levels, reporting 466 starvation- and malnutrition-related deaths since 2024, including 157 children.
Gaza’s Health Ministry warned Friday that malnutrition has reached catastrophic levels, reporting 466 deaths from starvation and malnutrition since 2024, including 157 children.
In a statement marking World Food Day, the ministry said more than 1.4 million Palestinians—about 67% of Gaza’s population—were experiencing acute food insecurity or worse.
The ministry reported 158,001 cases of acute malnutrition among children under five between 2024 and August 2026, including 28,716 severe cases. An estimated 74,200 children will need treatment for acute malnutrition by April 2027.
The crisis has also led to a sharp increase in child mortality, with the under-five death rate rising from 13.6 per 1,000 live births in 2022 to 33.4 in 2025.
Older people and pregnant women remain especially vulnerable. The ministry reported 189 starvation-related deaths among elderly people, while the rate of anemia among pregnant women rose to 61% in 2026, up from 41% before the war.
Nearly 4,000 pregnancy losses were reported in the first half of 2026, while one in three pregnancies was classified as high-risk.
The ministry called on the international community and the United Nations to facilitate the unrestricted, safe and sustained delivery of food, therapeutic nutritional supplies and medicines into Gaza, with priority given to children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and older people.
It also urged the restoration of local food production, emphasizing that access to adequate food is a fundamental human right, including during wartime.
