UNRWA study in The Lancet: An alarming rise in malnutrition among children in Gaza

The study, published in the prestigious medical journal, provides the first monthly analysis of acute malnutrition during the war in the Gaza Strip, revealing its sharp increase after restrictions on humanitarian aid were imposed at the end of 2024, and during the complete siege that extended for eleven weeks from March until May 2025.

More than 54,600 children in Gaza are now suffering from acute malnutrition and face an increased risk of death if they do not receive treatment, underscoring the scale of the humanitarian disaster and the need for immediate and unhindered access to aid.

Dr. Akihiro Seita, Director of the UNRWA Health Department (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugeesn) He said that tens of thousands of young children in the Gaza Strip suffer from preventable malnutrition, diseases, and increased risks of death as a result of the ongoing war.

He added: “Without a lasting ceasefire and peace, human suffering will continue.”

Dr. Masako Horino, nutritional epidemiologist and lead UNRWA researcher on the study, said that – as the study reveals – the youngest children in Gaza are tragically bearing an unimaginable burden of preventable malnutrition during this war.