Famine and nearly two years of war in Gaza have left children with severe physical and psychological trauma – from emaciated bodies and dry skin to lasting mental scars – that experts warn will impact their health and development for years to come.
Marina Adrianopoli, the World Health Organization's technical lead for nutrition for the Gaza response, said global studies showed a range of "long-term effects and irreversible damages" if a child does not get enough food in the first year of life – especially if combined with trauma and stress.
Memory, language, learning and productive capacity could all be affected.
"If the percentage of children affected by acute malnutrition or chronic malnutrition is high, there is the risk of an entire generation being permanently affected with long-lasting impacts on physical growth and socio-economic potential, not to mention the trauma and stress, which may last forever," she said in an interview from Geneva.
Marko Kerac, clinical associate professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said children were vulnerable to the worst long-term effects because their organs are still developing.
