Gaza: The United Nations has sounded a dire warning over a dramatic increase in acute malnutrition among children under five in the Gaza Strip, amid a deepening humanitarian and healthcare crisis.
According to figures released Thursday by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 2,700 children were diagnosed with acute malnutrition in May — nearly triple the number recorded just three months earlier. Of the 47,000 children screened in the second half of May, 5.8 percent were found to be acutely malnourished, underscoring a rapid deterioration in child health.
Even more concerning, the number of children requiring hospitalisation for severe acute malnutrition doubled in May, with over 16,500 cases of malnutrition among children under five reported since the start of 2025. Among these, 141 children suffered from severe medical complications demanding urgent intervention.
However, the ability to treat these vulnerable children is rapidly shrinking. Only four stabilisation centres remain operational across Gaza, with critical facilities in North Gaza and Rafah forced to shut down due to ongoing hostilities. The closures have severely limited access to life-saving treatment.
This crisis is unfolding against the backdrop of an already crippled healthcare system. The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an urgent plea to protect two of Gaza’s last functional hospitals — Nasser Medical Complex and Al-Amal Hospital — which are now at risk of shutting down. In a statement, WHO condemned what it called the prolonged and systematic destruction of Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure, urging immediate steps to ensure the safety and operability of remaining medical facilities.
“No one should have to gamble with their life just to access medical care,” the agency said, calling for international action to prevent a complete collapse of health services.
Humanitarian organisations and medical personnel have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of deliberately targeting health workers and hospitals, a tactic they argue is aimed at making Gaza uninhabitable.
With Gaza’s population facing worsening levels of hunger and deprivation, aid groups are warning of an impending catastrophe. Without swift and substantial intervention, they caution, more children will die from conditions that are entirely preventable.
