Photo: Unicef
The United Nations has issued a grave warning that all children under the age of five in the Gaza Strip — approximately 320,000 — are at risk of severe, life-threatening malnutrition. This comes as Israel continues to block vital humanitarian aid from reaching the besieged territory, leading to the collapse of nutrition services and the lack of essential resources such as safe drinking water, breast milk substitutes, and therapeutic food. The UN’s World Food Programme highlighted the devastating impact this blockade is having on Gaza’s youngest and most vulnerable population.
Medical
professionals on the ground have reported a surge in famine-related illnesses
and deaths. Paediatrician Dr. Seema Jilani told Al Jazeera that malnutrition in
children can result in multi-organ failure and long-term developmental delays.
On Monday alone, six new deaths linked to starvation and malnutrition were
recorded, including one child. The total death toll due to hunger-related causes
since the beginning of the war has now reached 181, with 94 of the victims
being children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
In addition to the rising hunger-related fatalities, the Health Ministry has raised concerns over an increase in cases of acute soft paralysis among children. The condition, linked to severe infections and malnutrition, includes a spike in Guillain-Barre syndrome — a rare and serious disorder causing sudden muscle weakness and numbness. Three children have reportedly died from the condition so far, underscoring the urgent need for immediate medical and nutritional intervention in Gaza.