Malnutrition Crisis Deepens as Humanitarian Access Remains Severely Restricted
The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza continues to intensify, with 33 Palestinians, including 12 children, dying of malnutrition within just 48 hours, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark warning to the UN Security Council, stating that “malnutrition is soaring” and “starvation is knocking on every door” across the enclave. He emphasized Israel’s obligation under international law to allow unhindered humanitarian access for UN agencies and their partners.
Despite Israeli claims of facilitating aid, local and international reports reveal a different reality. Footage from al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, filmed by a Palestinian journalist for the BBC, showed the emaciated body of a man doctors identified as Ahmed al-Hasanat, who died from starvation. Other reported deaths include 13-year-old Abdul Hamid al-Ghalban in Khan Younis and six-week-old Yousef al-Safadi in Gaza City.
The US-based humanitarian group MedGlobal confirmed that five severely malnourished children — aged between three months and four years — had died in recent days at its facilities.
“This is a deliberate and human-made disaster,” said MedGlobal executive director Joseph Belliveau. “There is not enough food or medicine, not even basic treatments like IV fluids.”
According to MedGlobal, cases of acute malnutrition have nearly tripled since the beginning of July, signaling the onset of a widespread starvation crisis.
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) echoed similar concerns, reporting that its staff are sending “SOS” messages due to a severe lack of food. Some doctors and aid workers have reportedly collapsed from hunger and exhaustion while on duty.
Gaza residents, too, are sharing harrowing accounts of daily life. Osama Tawfiq, a veteran hospital worker, said:
“I go to work hungry and leave my six children behind, also hungry. I’ve worked in this hospital for 20 years and never seen people die from starvation — until now.”
The World Food Programme (WFP) says 90,000 women and children urgently need treatment for malnutrition, with nearly one-third of the population going days without food. The cost of food has skyrocketed — a 1kg bag of flour now sells for over $100 USD in local markets.
Despite warnings from global health and food agencies, Israel has allowed limited aid into Gaza. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says just 1,600 aid trucks entered Gaza between May and July — averaging 27 trucks per day, far below the 600 daily minimum required to prevent famine.
Israel, through its military coordination body COGAT, has denied responsibility for the crisis and accused Hamas of fabricating reports to manipulate ceasefire negotiations. COGAT claims 950 trucks of aid are waiting in Gaza, ready for distribution — a claim international humanitarian agencies say is misleading, citing security concerns, fuel shortages, and active conflict as barriers to delivery.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) — a new US- and Israel-backed distribution system launched in late May — has also come under fire. Relying on private US contractors operating inside Israeli military zones, the GHF is not recognized by the UN or its partners, who say it violates humanitarian principles of neutrality and independence.
According to the UN Human Rights Office, 766 Palestinians have been killed near GHF aid sites since they began operating. An additional 288 people have been killed near traditional UN aid convoys.
“We are seeing the last gasp of a humanitarian system built on humanitarian principles,” said Guterres. “It is being denied the conditions to function — denied the space to deliver — denied the safety to save lives.”
The situation has further deteriorated with intensified Israeli military operations, including attacks on Deir al-Balah, which damaged the WHO’s main warehouse and staff housing, crippling relief efforts.
This crisis unfolds against the backdrop of the war that began on October 7, 2023, following a Hamas-led attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages. Since then, at least 59,106 people have been killed in Gaza, according to its Health Ministry.
With starvation mounting, humanitarian workers collapsing, and aid blocked, the world watches as Gaza plunges deeper into an unprecedented starvation emergency.