A quarter of all pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under five in the Gaza Strip are suffering from acute malnutrition, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), as the enclave plunges deeper into a humanitarian catastrophe.

MSF teams report enrolling 25 new patients daily at their clinics, with malnutrition rates quadrupling since May and severe cases tripling in just two weeks. “Even our medical staff are showing signs of exhaustion and hunger,” said Caroline Willemen, MSF’s project coordinator in Gaza City.

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that 21 children have died from malnutrition so far this year, warning of a daily surge in deaths and overcrowded stabilization centers lacking emergency feeding supplies.

According to UNICEF, the number of children admitted for treatment reached 6,500 in June, with 5,000 more in just the first half of July. In Gaza City, 16% of screened children were found to be acutely malnourished—four times higher than in February.

The crisis is compounded by the collapse of food systems, fuel shortages, and blocked humanitarian corridors. Since March, fewer than 500 aid trucks have entered Gaza—less than what used to arrive daily before the war.

Food prices have skyrocketed: sugar costs $76/kg, flour $30/kg, and basic staples are out of reach for most families. Many are surviving on one meal a day, often just rice or lentils, while parents skip meals to feed their children.

MSF and UN agencies accuse Israeli authorities of deliberately restricting aid, militarizing distribution routes, and destroying local food production. “This is not a failed harvest—it’s a choice to deprive people of food,” said Willemen.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by the US and Israel, has come under fire for chaotic and dangerous aid distributions. Over 1,000 civilians have been killed and 7,200 injured while trying to collect food at GHF sites.

WHO warns that malnutrition and disease are feeding into each other, turning treatable illnesses into death sentences. Premature births, protein deficiency, and wound infections are rising sharply.

UNRWA reports that acute malnutrition among children has doubled since March, and one in ten children screened now suffers from severe hunger. Aid workers themselves are fainting from hunger, surviving on a bowl of lentils a day.

UNICEF and WHO are calling for an immediate ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian access, and a massive scale-up of food and medical aid. Without urgent action, they warn, an entire generation faces irreversible damage.

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