Yasmine, a 22-year-old Palestinian mother, sits next to her malnourished 2-months-old daughter Teen as they await treatment at the Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
As Israel’s blockade of Gaza approaches its fifth month, the World Health Organization warned that malnutrition was "on a dangerous trajectory … marked by a spike in deaths in July."
Of the 74 recorded malnutrition-related deaths in 2025, 63 had occurred in July -- including 24 children under five, one child aged over five, and 38 adults, it added.
"Most of these people were declared dead on arrival at health facilities or died shortly after, their bodies showing clear signs of severe wasting," the UN health agency said.
"The crisis remains entirely preventable. Deliberate blocking and delay of large-scale food, health, and humanitarian aid has cost many lives."
Israel imposed a complete blockade of Gaza on 2 March, blocking the entry of all humanitarian aid, including food, into the war-battered territory.
The UN and NGOs on the ground have decried the severe scarcity facing Gaza's 2.4 million people, with shortages of food, clean water, medicine and fuel.
More than 100 aid organisations have already warned that "mass starvation" was spreading amid Israel's blockade on food and humanitarian aid.
Nearly one in five children under five in Gaza City is now acutely malnourished, the WHO said, citing its Nutrition Cluster partners.
It said the percentage of children aged six to 59 months suffering from acute malnutrition had tripled in the city since June, making it the worst-hit area in the Gaza Strip.
In Khan Younis and central Gaza, those rates have doubled in less than a month, it added.
"These figures are likely an underestimation due to the severe access and security constraints preventing many families from reaching health facilities," the WHO said.
Israel on Sunday began what it described as a limited "tactical pause" in its 21-month war on Gaza to allow the UN and aid agencies to tackle the outbreak of famine across the Palestinian territory.
But the WHO called for sustained efforts to "flood" the Gaza Strip with diverse, nutritious food, and for the expedited delivery of therapeutic supplies for children and vulnerable groups, plus essential medicines and supplies.
"This flow must remain consistent and unhindered to support recovery and prevent further deterioration", the Geneva-based agency said.
Short link: