Gaza malnutrition and starvation at ‘catastrophic’ levels: Health Ministry

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkA displaced Palestinian woman from Beit Hanoon receives a hot meal at a charity kitchen in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip [File: Bashar Taleb/AFP]By Al Jazeera Staff, AP and ReutersPublished On 16 Oct 202616 Oct 2026Malnutrition and starvation rates in Gaza have reached “catastrophic” levels, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, despite a United States-brokered “ceasefire” that aims in part to allow more food and medical supplies to enter the Strip as Palestinians face famine.At least 466 Palestinians have died of malnutrition and starvation since 2024, with children accounting for one-third of the deaths, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Friday, in a statement released for World Food Day.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Photos: Gaza’s worsening starvation crisislist 2 of 3At least 31 killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza as hunger crisis growslist 3 of 3Global hunger report warns of rising malnutrition and famine risksend of listElderly Palestinians accounted for the largest share of malnutrition-related deaths in the Strip, with 189 deaths, representing 40.5 percent of the total. The ministry said 11 percent of older people went without a meal for an entire day and 48 percent reduced portions so their families could eat.The ministry estimated that 74,200 children would require treatment for acute malnutrition through April 2027.Malnutrition was also driving up rates of anaemia among pregnant women to 61 percent in 2026, up from 41 percent before the war began in October 2023. Nearly 4,000 pregnancy losses were recorded in the first half of 2026, more than three times the number recorded in the preceding six months.More than 1.4 million Palestinians – 67 percent of Gaza’s population – are projected to face crisis-level food insecurity or worse through the end of 2026 as winter months approach, the ministry warned.Palestinians hold pots and containers while waiting to receive food from a charity kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, August 21, 2025 [File: Hatem Khaled/Reuters]Gains in tackling hunger crisis at riskThe United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, said that gains in tackling Gaza’s hunger crisis were fragile. It warned that the situation could worsen due to disruption of supplies entering Strip, and urged that crossings remain open.A UNICEF report ⁠published on Friday found that while the so-called “ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas last October ⁠had allowed more humanitarian aid and commercial supplies to enter, acute malnutrition remains a risk.The report said scaled-up food and nutrition response and the easing of restrictions on the entry of food and nutrition ⁠supplies helped to avert a prolonged famine after it was declared in August 2025.Speaking to reporters in Geneva, UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires said the flow of both commercial and humanitarian supplies must remain predictable and continuous.“The impact on children obviously will be felt if this situation is not resolved,” he said. “We can’t go back to a situation where children and families are not getting all the supplies, goods, and services that they require.” Israel said on Wednesday that no commercial goods had entered the Strip in days, blaming the supply shortages on a tax dispute between local merchants and Hamas. The Palestinian group dismissed Israel’s claims as “baseless” while Gaza’s Government Media Office condemned Israel’s “blatant disinformation campaign and false statement”.Israel’s move to halt supplies has cut off a vital source of ⁠food and other goods in a territory where most depend on humanitarian assistance after three years of war, repeated displacement and stringent Israeli restrictions on aid deliveries.Even before Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began in 2023, an Israeli land, sea and air blockade restricted the flow of food, clean water, fuel and medical supplies from entering the Strip.Gaza’s Health Ministry has called for international action to ensure unrestricted entry of food and medicine into the Strip. It also called for support to revive local food production.