UN Report Warns of Catastrophic Famine in Gaza: Children Dying and Aid Blocked

UN agencies have issued urgent warnings about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where hunger and malnutrition rates have reached unprecedented levels, leading to increasing deaths among children and civilians.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) revealed that people in Gaza, including agency employees, "are fainting due to severe hunger," according to a post on its official Facebook page. The agency confirmed that people are "dying of hunger," calling for "lifting the blockade and allowing UNRWA to bring in food and medicine."

Meanwhile, UNICEF warned that "the deadly malnutrition epidemic among children in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels." The organization posted on its platform X: "Hunger is spreading in Gaza and people are dying, food is critically scarce, and clean water is below emergency levels." It added: "Aid is severely restricted and accessing it is fraught with risks."

Medical sources reported the deaths of two children in Gaza due to malnutrition and famine, as reported by the Palestinian WAFA news agency. The World Food Programme also announced that the humanitarian situation in the region has reached an "unprecedented stage of deterioration," with a third of the population deprived of food for consecutive days.

The program confirmed that 90,000 children and women are suffering from severe malnutrition, while the United Nations recorded the deaths of 800 people while waiting for aid since late May.

Doctors Without Borders pointed out that its medical teams are recording "the highest number of malnutrition cases in the history of the region," warning of a collapse of the healthcare system.

This comes amid the continued Israeli blockade on Gaza since March 2, following the failure of negotiations to extend the ceasefire that lasted six weeks at the beginning of 2025. Israel had prevented the entry of essential goods until late May, before allowing a limited number of trucks to enter, depleting stocks and pushing the region into its worst supply crisis since the start of the war.

According to medical sources in Gaza, the number of aid recipients who arrived at hospitals and died has risen to 1,021 dead and 6,511 injured.

Since the start of the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, the death toll has reached 59,029, mostly children and women, with 142,135 injured, while others remain under the rubble due to the difficulty of rescue teams' access.