By Jaya Ramachandran

GENEVA | 28 July 2025 (WorldView) — Warning of an unprecedented surge in malnutrition across the Gaza Strip, with most of this year’s hunger-related deaths occurring in July alone, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for immediate, unrestricted access for humanitarian aid, including therapeutic foods for children, essential medicines, and other critical supplies.

The UN health organisation emphasised the need to “flood the Gaza Strip with diverse, nutritious food” to prevent further catastrophe. It also renewed calls for the protection of civilians, the release of detained humanitarian workers and hostages, and an immediate ceasefire to allow relief efforts to continue uninterrupted.

According to the WHO data, 63 of the 74 malnutrition-related deaths recorded in 2025 happened this month — including 24 children under five, one child over five, and 38 adults. Most were already severely wasted when they reached health facilities — if they reached them at all.

“This crisis is entirely preventable,” the WHO said, stressing that the deliberate obstruction and delay of large-scale food, medical, and humanitarian aid have cost countless lives.

Children At the Epicentre

Nearly one in five children under five in Gaza City is now acutely malnourished, with the Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate tripling since June, making Gaza City the worst-affected area. In Khan Younis and the Middle Area, rates have doubled in less than a month.

Access to healthcare is so restricted that the actual figures are likely far worse. In the first two weeks of July alone, more than 5,000 children under five were treated for malnutrition, 18% of them with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) — the deadliest form. In June, 6,500 children were admitted, the highest monthly number since October 2023.

Hospitalisations for severe cases are rising at a pace the system cannot bear: 73 children with SAM and medical complications were admitted in July, compared to 39 in June, bringing 2025 inpatient admissions to 263.

Health System on the Brink

The crisis is overwhelming Gaza’s four specialised malnutrition treatment centres, which are all operating beyond capacity and are expected to run out of fuel and medical supplies by mid-August. Exhausted health workers are struggling to cope as disease outbreaks — fuelled by broken water and sanitation systems — feed a deadly cycle of illness and hunger.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women are also critically affected, with over 40% now severely malnourished, according to Nutrition Cluster screenings. The situation is particularly dire in the Middle Area, where rates have tripled since June, and in Gaza City and Khan Younis, where they have doubled.

Beyond hunger itself, the desperate search for food has become lethal. Since 27 May, at least 1,060 people have been killed and 7,200 injured while attempting to access food amid chaos and insecurity. (WorldView)

Image: Young people queue at a food distribution centre in Gaza. Credit: WHO.