Child malnutrition spikes in Gaza

Child malnutrition in Gaza has climbed sharply as aid deliveries slowed again in early April, with United Nations agencies warning some children could face lifelong harm. (unicef.org) No aid was allowed into Gaza from March 2, 2025, UNICEF said on April 5, 2025, calling it the longest aid blockage since the war began. By May 12, 2025, a United Nations-backed food security assessment projected 71,000 children under 5 and more than 17,000 mothers would need urgent treatment for acute malnutrition. (unicef.org) (unicef.ca) The numbers worsened fast after the ceasefire period ended. UNICEF said 5,119 children ages 6 months to 5 years were admitted for acute malnutrition treatment in May 2025, up from 3,444 in April and 636 of the May cases were severe acute malnutrition, the deadliest form. (unicef.org) Malnutrition in young children is not just weight loss. The World Health Organization said it can stunt growth, damage cognitive development and weaken health for life, and its Gaza representative warned in May 2025 that “an entire generation” could be permanently affected without food, clean water and health care. (news.un.org) The crisis is tied to more than calories alone. UNICEF said on April 5, 2025, that complementary food for infants had run out in central and southern Gaza, only enough ready-to-use infant formula remained for 400 children for one month, and nearly 10,000 infants under 6 months needed supplementary feeding. (unicef.org) Treatment capacity also shrank as needs rose. UNICEF said 21 nutrition treatment centres, or 15 percent of outpatient facilities, had closed by March 18, 2025, and by June 19, 2025, only 127 of 236 treatment centres in Gaza were still functioning. (unicef.org 1) (unicef.org 2) Water shortages have compounded the problem. UNICEF said drinking water access for 1 million people, including 400,000 children, fell from 16 liters per person per day to 6 liters after damage to water systems and power cuts, increasing the risk that infant formula would be mixed with unsafe water. (unicef.org) Aid access remained unstable in April 2026. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on April 13 that, between March 31 and April 5, taking approved supplies into Gaza was undermined by reduced opening at Kerem Shalom, lower scanning capacity at Ashdod and customs delays. (ochaopt.org) Israeli officials say the aid picture is more complicated than a blanket blockade. The Israeli military body Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories says aid entry data is posted publicly and Israeli officials have argued that Hamas has diverted aid and that distribution bottlenecks inside Gaza have also limited deliveries. (gaza-aid-data.gov.il) (timesofisrael.com) United Nations agencies have kept pressing the same point for more than a year: food, therapeutic supplies and infant feeding support are positioned near Gaza, but children cannot recover without sustained access, functioning clinics and safe water. (unicef.ca) (news.un.org)