Nearly one in six children in Gaza acutely malnourished

Nearly one in six children in Gaza is acutely malnourished after two years of war that has caused severe food shortages in the Palestinian territory, according to a study published Thursday.

The study, published in medical journal The Lancet, comes after the United Nations in August declared a famine in parts of the Gaza Strip -- a finding rejected by Israel, which has imposed a blockade on the territory as it wages war on Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

"After nearly 2 years of war and severe restrictions in humanitarian aid, tens of thousands of preschool-aged children in the Gaza Strip are suffering from preventable acute malnutrition and facing an increased risk of mortality," said the study, financed by the UN Palestinian relief agency, UNRWA.

The study, the most detailed look so far at child hunger in Gaza, analysed data on more than 200,000 children under five examined between January 2024 and August 2025 at UNRWA facilities.

It found acute malnutrition -- which causes severe weight loss and can lead to serious long-term health problems -- had risen steadily, particularly after an Israeli aid blockade from March to May 2025.

The most recent measurements, taken in August, found that 15.8 percent of children examined suffered from acute malnutrition.

Extrapolating to the entire population, the researchers estimated around 55,000 children in Gaza were affected.

In a comment on the study, a group of international pediatricians not involved in it said the data had "some limitations", including the fact that the children examined had at least some access to health services.

However, the findings "strongly suggest that restrictions on food and assistance have resulted in severe malnutrition among children in the Gaza Strip, a reality that will undoubtedly impact their future health and development outcomes for generations", they said.

The war was triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel's ensuing military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 67,000 people, according to the health ministry in the war-torn territory, figures the UN considers credible.