The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning about the escalating risk of famine in Gaza, attributing the crisis to the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid, including food, amidst the ongoing blockade.
According to the latest food security analysis released today by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) partnership, of which WHO is a member, the entire 2.1 million population of Gaza is enduring prolonged food shortages. Alarmingly, nearly half a million people are already in a catastrophic state characterized by hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness, and death, marking one of the world’s most severe hunger crises unfolding in real time.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “We do not need to wait for a declaration of famine in Gaza to know that people are already starving, sick and dying, while food and medicines are minutes away across the border. Today’s report shows that without immediate access to food and essential supplies, the situation will continue to deteriorate, causing more deaths and descent into famine.”
While famine has not yet been formally declared, the reality on the ground is dire, with three-quarters of Gaza’s population facing “Emergency” or “Catastrophic” levels of food deprivation, the two most severe categories on the IPC’s five-level scale.
Disturbingly, since the aid blockade reportedly began on March 2, 2025, the Ministry of Health has reported the deaths of 57 children due to the effects of malnutrition, a figure that is likely an underestimate and expected to rise. The IPC report projects that if the current situation persists, nearly 71,000 children under the age of five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition over the next eleven months.
The WHO highlights a dangerous cycle in Gaza where malnutrition and disease exacerbate each other, turning common illnesses into potential fatalities, especially for children. Malnutrition weakens the body’s ability to heal and fight infections, while infections increase the body’s nutritional needs and hinder nutrient absorption. Coupled with severely limited access to healthcare, plummeting vaccination rates, and restricted access to clean water and sanitation, the risk of severe illness and death is dramatically amplified, particularly for children with severe acute malnutrition who require urgent treatment for survival.
Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are also at extreme risk, with nearly 17,000 expected to require treatment for acute malnutrition in the coming eleven months if conditions do not improve. Malnourished mothers struggle to produce sufficient nutritious milk, endangering their infants, while essential counseling services for mothers are severely compromised. For infants under six months, breastmilk is their primary defense against hunger and disease, especially crucial in Gaza’s context of scarce clean water.
The long-term consequences of malnutrition, including stunted growth, impaired cognitive development, and poor health, threaten to permanently affect an entire generation in Gaza if adequate nutritious food, clean water, and healthcare remain inaccessible.
The WHO has criticized the recently announced plan by Israeli authorities to deliver aid via proposed distribution sites as “grossly inadequate” to meet the immediate needs of over two million people. The organization echoes the UN’s call for upholding global humanitarian principles and granting unimpeded humanitarian access to provide aid based on needs, wherever people are located. They emphasize that a well-established UN-led humanitarian coordination system is already in place and must be allowed to function fully to ensure principled, timely, and equitable aid delivery.
The ongoing aid blockade and shrinking humanitarian access are severely hindering WHO’s ability to support malnutrition treatment centers and sustain the broader health system in Gaza. The remaining medical supplies within Gaza are critically low, enough to treat only a fraction of the children with acute malnutrition, while essential medicines and supplies for treating diseases and trauma injuries are running out and cannot be replenished due to the blockade.
The WHO urgently calls for the protection of healthcare, an immediate end to the aid blockade, the release of all hostages, and a ceasefire leading to lasting peace, emphasizing that life-saving medical supplies are ready for deployment just outside Gaza but are being obstructed, while people inside are dying.
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