Gaza: The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning concerning the rising number of malnutrition-related deaths in the Gaza Strip. In 2025 alone, the organization has documented 21 deaths among children under five due to malnutrition.
According to Kuwait News Agency, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained at a press conference that since July 17, the malnutrition centers in Gaza have been operating at full capacity, but they lack adequate supplies for emergency feeding. The 2.1 million residents of Gaza are now facing starvation in addition to the ongoing violence.
Ghebreyesus reported that global acute malnutrition rates have exceeded 10 percent, with over 20 percent of pregnant and breastfeeding women being severely malnourished. The crisis is exacerbated by the collapse of aid pipelines and restrictions on UN and humanitarian partners. For nearly 80 days, from early March to mid-May 2025, there has been a complete blockade on humanitarian and commercial access, preventing any food deliveries to Gaza.
He further highlighted that "food distribution sites have become places of violence." From May 27 to July 21, health authorities reported 1,026 fatalities in Gaza as individuals attempted to obtain food from these sites.
Regarding the severe water shortage, Ghebreyesus stated that 95 percent of households in Gaza suffer from inadequate water access, with daily availability far below the necessary amount for drinking, cooking, and hygiene. Nearly 90 percent of Gaza's land is under evacuation orders or within zones militarized by Israeli occupation forces.
Ghebreyesus added that hospitals have been frequently attacked, with many now non-operational and others functioning at minimal capacity due to repeated assaults, fuel shortages, and a lack of supplies stemming from restricted access.
WHO Representative in Gaza Rik Peeperkorn noted that in July alone, more than 5,000 children were enrolled in therapeutic feeding programs, including 880 children with catastrophic levels of severe acute malnutrition. Peeperkorn warned that the number of children under five suffering from acute malnutrition in 2025 is nearing 30,000 cases, underscoring the severity of the crisis amidst limited reporting and data collection challenges.