Gaza: As the war in Gaza enters its 20th month, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has issued a dire warning over the rapid rise in child malnutrition, revealing that more than 5,000 children were treated for life-threatening conditions in May alone. The escalation of suffering comes amid Israel’s ongoing military siege and bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which has severely limited access to food, water, and humanitarian aid.
UNICEF reported that 5,119 children between the ages of six months and five years were treated for acute malnutrition last month—a 50% rise from April and a staggering 150% increase since February. Of those, 636 were diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition, the deadliest form of hunger-related illness. These figures reflect a devastating trend: over 16,700 children have been admitted for malnutrition treatment in Gaza since January 2025—an average of 112 children every single day.
Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, stated bluntly that “every one of these cases is preventable.” He condemned the Israeli blockade for obstructing the delivery of food, water, and therapeutic supplies, describing the crisis as “man-made decisions that are costing lives.” UNICEF has called for immediate, large-scale aid access through all available border crossings and warned that if conditions persist, Gaza could see the highest malnutrition rates since the conflict began.
Despite efforts, the humanitarian response remains grossly insufficient. Only 127 of Gaza’s 236 treatment centers are operational, with the rest shut down due to damage or forced evacuation. Stocks of essential ready-to-use therapeutic food are running critically low, and with water and sanitation systems largely destroyed, disease and hunger continue to spread. UNICEF said their aid deliveries in the past three weeks amount to “a tiny fraction” of what’s needed to meet the growing emergency.
The wider toll of the war has also been catastrophic. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israeli military actions have killed at least 55,493 Palestinians and injured more than 129,000. Over 16,000 children are among the dead, and 14,000 more people are missing, presumed buried beneath rubble. Israel’s actions in Gaza are currently under investigation by the International Court of Justice for alleged genocide, and Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu face war crimes allegations at the International Criminal Court.
As the world’s attention pivots to Israel’s broader conflict with Iran, human rights advocates are sounding the alarm that Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe is being forgotten. "While Israeli leaders condemn Iranian strikes as war crimes, they are starving two million people in Gaza," journalist Abby Martin wrote, urging the global community not to look away. UNICEF echoed this plea, warning that without immediate intervention, more preventable deaths will follow in what they call one of the most devastating man-made disasters of our time.
