Key Takeaways
- The Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip has led to a severe hunger crisis, with 57 children dying from malnutrition.
- The entire 2.1 million population of Gaza is facing prolonged food shortages, with nearly half a million people in a catastrophic situation of hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness, and death.
- The WHO forecast that 71,000 children under the age of five will suffer from acute malnutrition over the next 11 months if nothing changes.
Gaza City: About 500,000 people in the Gaza Strip are suffering catastrophically from hunger, and 57 children have died from malnutrition since the Israeli blockade of the enclave began on March 2, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
“Since the aid blockade began on 2 March 2025, 57 children have reportedly died from the effects of malnutrition, according to the Ministry of Health. This number is likely an underestimate and is likely to increase,” WHO said in a statement on Monday.
According to the World Health Organization’s forecast, if nothing changes, about 71,000 children under the age of five will suffer from acute malnutrition over the next 11 months.
“The entire 2.1 million population of Gaza is facing prolonged food shortages, with nearly half a million people in a catastrophic situation of hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness and death. This is one of the world’s worst hunger crises, unfolding in real time,” the statement added.
On March 18, Israel resumed strikes on the Gaza Strip, citing Palestinian movement Hamas’ refusal to accept the US plan to extend the ceasefire, which expired on March 1. In early March, Israel cut off the electricity supply to a desalination plant in the Gaza Strip and closed off entry to trucks carrying humanitarian aid.
