Worsening Starvation Crisis in Gaza: Aid Organizations Warn of looming Catastrophe due to ongoing Israel Blockade, where Palestinians are reportedly enduring extended periods of hunger.
In the embattled Gaza Strip, a humanitarian crisis is unfolding, with malnutrition and food insecurity soaring to unprecedented levels due to Israel's full blockade imposed since March 2025. This blockade, enacted following Hamas's October 2023 attack and the collapse of ceasefire agreements, has severely restricted humanitarian aid, including food and medical supplies, forcing Gazans to endure extreme shortages and worsening malnutrition levels.
Aid workers and health staff report that this blockade has resulted in unprecedented levels of acute food insecurity and malnutrition. About one-third of Gaza’s nearly two million residents are going without food for days at a time. The World Food Programme estimates that more than 100,000 women and children suffer from severe acute malnutrition, and child malnutrition rates among those screened have risen sharply from 2.4% in February 2025 to 9% by early July 2025.
The effects of this crisis are alarming. High mortality due to starvation and malnutrition-related conditions, especially among children, is on the rise. Since October 2023, at least 66 children have died directly from malnutrition-related causes, excluding additional deaths from preventable diseases worsened by malnutrition. Cases of severe malnutrition like Marasmus (a life-threatening protein-energy malnutrition) and chronic dehydration are documented in infants and children, as seen with the death of a 4-month-old baby in May 2025 due to lack of specialized nutrition formulas unavailable because of the blockade.
The limited aid distribution centres operated under the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) are also creating dangerous conditions. Fewer and less accessible distribution points expose civilians to conflict-related violence, contributing to over 1,000 Gazans killed in disorderly conditions while seeking food. Health workers and aid staff themselves are suffering from hunger and exhaustion due to the crisis, creating further strain on the capacity to provide medical and humanitarian aid.
Israel's justification for the blockade as a security measure to prevent aid diversion by Hamas is questioned by international organizations and human rights groups. No verified evidence supports claims of substantial Hamas appropriation. Meanwhile, calls to lift all restrictions and allow unfettered humanitarian access grow louder, as the crisis is reported as the worst humanitarian emergency in Gaza since the 2023 conflict.
| Causes | Effects | |---------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | Israeli full blockade since March 2025 | Acute food insecurity—1/3 Gazans go days without food | | Restricted humanitarian aid and food import | Sharp rise in severe malnutrition in children | | Limited aid distribution points (4 centers) | Deaths from hunger, malnutrition, and related diseases | | Violent conditions around aid stations | Over 1,000 killed seeking food; health staff hunger | | Security measures citing Hamas aid diversion | Chronic dehydration, Marasmus, immunodeficiency in children |
This crisis is a dire situation that requires immediate action. The United Nations' World Food Programme, Doctors Without Borders, and the World Health Organization are among the international organizations calling for the lifting of the siege and safe humanitarian access to prevent further deaths and malnutrition.
- The World Food Programme estimates that over 100,000 women and children in Gaza suffer from severe acute malnutrition.
- High mortality due to starvation and malnutrition-related conditions, especially among children, is on the rise.
- Cases of severe malnutrition like Marasmus and chronic dehydration are documented in infants and children.
- More than 100,000 women and children suffer from severe acute malnutrition.
- Child malnutrition rates among those screened have risen sharply from 2.4% in February 2025 to 9% by early July 2025.
- About one-third of Gaza’s nearly two million residents are going without food for days at a time.
- The effects of this crisis are alarming, with high mortality due to starvation and malnutrition-related conditions on the rise.
- Since October 2023, at least 66 children have died directly from malnutrition-related causes.
- Fewer and less accessible distribution points expose civilians to conflict-related violence.
- Health workers and aid staff themselves are suffering from hunger and exhaustion due to the crisis.
- The blockade has resulted in unprecedented levels of acute food insecurity and malnutrition.
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