Increasing numbers of Gazan children starving to death: UN body

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that malnutrition among children in the Gaza Strip had worsened in July, with more children suffering from acute malnutrition and dying of hunger amid scant aid as a result of Israeli restrictions.

In recent days, the rising number of people starving to death in Gaza, alongside continued Israeli bombardment despite international appeals, has dominated headlines. At least 115 deaths related to famine and malnutrition had been recorded, according to a report by Al Jazeera, citing Gaza health sources, on Thursday.

In an update published on Wednesday, data collected from nutrition cluster partners of UNOCHA showed that malnutrition in Gaza "has reached very critical thresholds".

In the first two weeks of July, nearly 5,000 of about 56,000 children under the age of five screened for malnutrition in Gaza, Deir al Balah and Khan Younis governorates were found to be acutely malnourished.

"This is a rate of 9 percent, up from 6 percent in June and 2.4 percent in February. The prevalence of malnutrition in Gaza city is even more alarming, with roughly 16 percent of about 15,000 children screened for malnutrition found to suffer from acute malnutrition, compared with four percent in February," according to the update.

The update added that, in June, a nutrition cluster survey found that more than 95 percent of children in Gaza consumed only two or fewer out of eight food groups.

"Since January 2025, partners have documented the cases of 20 children who died from severe acute malnutrition, of whom 13 have died in July so far, and the number is increasing daily," it said.

According to medical sources in Gaza, as of Tuesday, there had been 101 deaths from malnutrition, including 80 children, of whom 11 adults and four children died in hospitals in the preceding 24 hours.

Khaled Khiari, the UN assistant secretary-general for the Middle East, told ministers and ambassadors at a Security Council meeting that ongoing talks on a ceasefire must lead to a permanent end to hostilities, the release of all hostages, unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid and for recovery and reconstruction to begin.

He warned that the conflict has become "a nightmare of historic proportions" and it was "long past time" for the fighting to end and for hostages to return home. He lamented the conditions on the ground, citing expanded Israeli military operations, particularly in Deir Al-Balah, which have led to further mass displacement.

UN premises have also been struck, hampering humanitarian operations and exacerbating the already dire situation.

In a similar appeal, Sam Rose, the acting director of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, in Gaza, told Al Jazeera that the "stress that people are under" is "on a level that we've not seen through more than 20 months of absolutely brutal conflict.

"Many of the staff that I spoke to earlier this week have yet again been displaced as a result of the evacuation orders in central Gaza, but were then going back to work. And all of them are hungry," Rose was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, more media organizations have also joined the call to end starvation in the Gaza Strip.

In a joint statement published by the AFP, AP, BBC News and Reuters, the group said they were "desperately concerned" for journalists in Gaza who are "increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families.

"For many months, these independent journalists have been the world's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering," the media outlets said.

"We once again urge the Israeli authorities to allow journalists in and out of Gaza. It is essential that adequate food supplies reach the people there," they added.