The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed deep concern regarding the rapidly deteriorating malnutrition situation in Gaza, warning that essential treatments are dwindling and the impact on children could be irreversible.
“Hunger is threatening to scar an entire generation,” stated Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, during a press briefing on Tuesday. Speaking remotely from Deir al-Balah, he described distressing scenes at a hospital in northern Gaza, where over 20% of the children screened were found to be suffering from acute malnutrition.
“I observed a child who was five years old, but appeared to be no more than two-and-a-half,” Peeperkorn said. “Without access to nourishing food, clean water, and healthcare, the consequences will be long-lasting—stunted growth, weakened immunity, and impaired cognitive development.”
Since early March, Israel has enforced a strict blockade on the entry of humanitarian supplies into Gaza, coinciding with its renewed military operations against Hamas. This blockade has significantly hindered aid delivery, prompting warnings from international agencies.
On Monday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)—a global body monitoring hunger—reported that nearly 500,000 individuals in Gaza are experiencing catastrophic levels of hunger, indicative of famine conditions.
The WHO has characterized current aid efforts as “grossly inadequate.” According to Peeperkorn, the organization possesses supplies to treat only 500 children with acute malnutrition—a number far below the actual need.
Citing statistics from Gaza’s Health Ministry, he revealed that at least 55 children have died from complications related to acute malnutrition. Many others are vulnerable to illnesses like pneumonia and gastroenteritis, which have become fatal due to weakened immune systems caused by hunger.
“You rarely die from starvation directly,” he noted. “You die from the infections your body can no longer fight off.”
Meanwhile, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, accused Israel of utilizing hunger as a weapon of war, informing the BBC that aid was being intentionally blocked from reaching civilians. Israel has refuted this claim, alleging that Hamas is diverting aid intended for the population—an accusation that Hamas also denies.
Israel has proposed a new, U.S.-backed plan to distribute aid through so-called neutral distribution sites, thereby bypassing Hamas. However, the WHO and other humanitarian agencies argue that such measures are insufficient to address the scale of the crisis.
As the conflict continues, health officials caution that without immediate and unrestricted access for humanitarian aid, the crisis will worsen—putting more lives, especially those of children, at imminent risk.
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