The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has issued a dire warning about skyrocketing child malnutrition rates in the Gaza Strip, driven by Israel’s relentless military aggression and blockade.

In a press release issued on Thursday, UNICEF reported that severe acute malnutrition among children in Gaza reached unprecedented levels in August, with the overall rate climbing to 13.5%, up from 8.3% in July. In Gaza City, where famine was officially confirmed earlier this year, 19% of screened children were diagnosed with severe malnutrition last month, compared to 16% in July.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell described the crisis as catastrophic, stating, “One in five children in Gaza City is now suffering from severe acute malnutrition, requiring urgent, life-saving nutritional support.” She emphasized that Israel’s ongoing military escalation has forced the closure of approximately 10 critical nutrition centers, leaving thousands of children without access to vital care. “No child should suffer from malnutrition that we can prevent and treat when we have safe access to deliver aid,” Russell said, calling for immediate action to protect nutrition services across Gaza.

The alarming rise in child malnutrition is a direct consequence of Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza, which has killed over 43,000 Palestinians, including more than 17,000 children, since October 2023, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health as of September 2025. The Israeli occupation’s relentless airstrikes, ground incursions, and blockade have decimated Gaza’s infrastructure, destroyed hospitals, and restricted access to food, clean water, and medical supplies. The United Nations has repeatedly warned that Israel’s deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure and aid convoys constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law.

Recent reports from Gaza indicate that the situation has worsened in recent weeks, with Israeli forces intensifying attacks on densely populated areas and displacing tens of thousands of families. On September 9, 2025, an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced civilians in Gaza City killed 18 people, including women and children, further exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe. The blockade, which severely limits the entry of food and aid, has pushed over 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents into acute food insecurity, according to the World Food Programme.

Despite UNICEF’s efforts to deliver life-saving supplies, including ready-to-use therapeutic food and micronutrient supplements, Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian access have crippled aid operations. The closure of nutrition centers due to military escalation has left countless children vulnerable to starvation and disease. “The deliberate obstruction of aid delivery is a death sentence for Gaza’s children,” said a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent, echoing sentiments shared by humanitarian organizations across the region.

UNICEF has called for an immediate ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza to address the malnutrition crisis and prevent further loss of life. The organization also urged the international community to hold Israel accountable for its ongoing violations, including the systematic targeting of civilians and humanitarian infrastructure.

The worsening malnutrition crisis underscores the broader genocide unfolding in Gaza, where children bear the brunt of Israel’s aggression. Palestinian activists and international human rights groups have renewed calls for global solidarity, urging governments and individuals to pressure Israel to end its occupation and lift the blockade. “The world cannot remain silent while Gaza’s children starve and die under Israeli bombs,” said a statement from the Gaza-based Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund on September 12, 2025.As the international community grapples with the scale of the crisis, UNICEF’s Russell reiterated the urgency of the situation: “The children of Gaza cannot wait. Their survival depends on immediate, unhindered access to aid and an end to the violence that has torn their lives apart.” (ILKHA)