The hunger crisis in Gaza is at a critical point, with aid agencies warning that critically low supplies of fortified milk and special nutritious pastes are exacerbating food shortages, pushing more children into starvation.
A recent report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) revealed that almost two years since Israel’s invasion, famine was formally confirmed for parts of Gaza, with nearly a quarter of the population facing starvation. The IPC also stated that over 132,000 young children under five are at risk of death from acute malnutrition through June next year.
Doctors Without Borders described malnutrition in childhood as causing lifelong physical and cognitive damage. Three nutrition experts said that treating an acutely malnourished nursing child involves several weeks of feeding with therapeutic milk, alongside supplements for the breastfeeding mother.
Israel disputes the reported hunger fatality figures, saying deaths were caused by other medical conditions. However, aid agencies report a spike in deaths from malnutrition and starvation, with over 89 fatalities attributed to these causes in the first seven months of the year.
Commercial food supplies have begun entering Gaza, but few people can afford them, and the market remains insufficient to prevent further deterioration. Experts say that flooding the market with nutrition supplies is crucial to preventing a sharper slide into widespread malnutrition.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gazas-hungry-children-slide-towards-starvation-emergency-treatments-dwindle-2025-08-22