At least 99 people, including 29 children under the age of five, have died from malnutrition in Gaza so far this year, according to the World Health Organization.
The WHO said the actual toll may be higher, as access to accurate data remains limited due to the ongoing conflict and restrictions on humanitarian agencies.
Speaking on Thursday in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the situation as urgent and worsening.
“Gazans have limited access to basic services, have faced repeated displacement, and are now suffering from a blockade of food supplies,” he told the UN correspondents’ association, ACANU.
He warned that hunger-related deaths are rising, and that nearly 12,000 children under five were diagnosed with acute malnutrition in July alone. That, according to the WHO, is the highest monthly figure ever recorded in Gaza.
“Malnutrition is widespread,” Tedros said. “So far this year, 99 people have died from it, including 29 children. These reported numbers are likely underestimates.”
The health agency and other UN bodies have consistently called for full and safe access for aid workers and medical teams. They are urging Israel and other stakeholders to open up more routes for food, medicine and relief supplies.
“The response must be scaled up, sustained and unimpeded. We need to reach people wherever they are, using all possible routes,” Tedros added.
