Gaza malnutrition 'catastrophic', warns Health Ministry

Gaza's Health Ministry has warned that malnutrition and starvation have reached 'catastrophic' levels across the territory, publishing stark new figures to mark World Food Day. In a statement released on Friday, the ministry said at least 466 Palestinians had died from malnutrition and starvation since 2024, including 157 children. The data lays bare the scale of the Gaza malnutrition crisis as winter approaches and aid flows remain uncertain. Children account for roughly one-third of the Gaza starvation deaths, while older Palestinians suffered the largest share of fatalities, with 189 deaths, or 40.5 per cent of the total, the ministry said. Eleven per cent of older people went without food for an entire day, while 48 per cent reduced their meal portions so that other family members could eat. The figures describe a Gaza malnutrition emergency that has deepened steadily rather than erupting as a single shock. ## Gaza malnutrition: 466 dead since 2024 Between 2024 and August 2026, the ministry recorded 158,001 cases of acute malnutrition among children under five, including 28,716 severe cases posing life-threatening risks. The ministry estimated that 74,200 children would require treatment for acute malnutrition through April 2027. Gaza starvation deaths, it said, reflect prolonged food shortages whose consequences continue to threaten the survival of the territory's youngest residents. The data was published as part of a World Food Day statement intended to press the international community for urgent intervention. ## Child malnutrition Gaza: mothers and newborns at risk Maternal health has deteriorated sharply alongside the worsening Gaza malnutrition picture. The ministry reported that anaemia among pregnant women reached 61 per cent in 2026, compared with 41 per cent before the war began in October 2023. Nearly 4,000 pregnancy losses were recorded in the first half of 2026 — more than three times the number in the preceding six months — and one in three pregnancies is now classified as high-risk. The mortality rate among children under five rose from 13.6 per 1,000 live births in 2022 to 33.4 in 2025, the ministry said, while 12.2 per cent of children suffer from stunting. Health workers say the Gaza malnutrition toll on mothers is still rising. ## Gaza malnutrition and the fragile aid response More than 1.4 million Palestinians — 67 per cent of Gaza's population — are projected to face crisis-level food insecurity or worse through the end of 2026, according to the ministry. UNICEF said gains in tackling the Gaza malnutrition crisis remain fragile and vulnerable to supply disruptions. A UNICEF report published on Friday found that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas last October allowed more humanitarian and commercial supplies to enter, and that scaled-up food and nutrition responses helped avert a prolonged famine after one was declared in August 2025. UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires told reporters in Geneva that the flow of both commercial and humanitarian supplies must remain predictable and continuous, urging that crossings stay open. ## Gaza food insecurity through the end of 2026 With colder months approaching, the ministry warned that Gaza food insecurity is expected to worsen without sustained aid. Child malnutrition Gaza specialists say treatment pipelines for acutely malnourished children must be protected from disruption, while maternal health services need urgent reinforcement. The World Food Day statement amounts to an appeal for urgent international intervention: without it, officials said, the Gaza malnutrition emergency will keep exacting its heaviest toll on children, mothers and the elderly.