Nearly one in six children under age 5 in Gaza is now acutely malnourished, according to a sweeping new study, highlighting a humanitarian disaster that has quietly intensified amid two years of war and food shortages.
More than 54,600 children are affected, with over 12,800 suffering severe wasting – a life-threatening form of malnutrition that can cause rapid weight loss, organ failure and death without immediate treatment.
The study, published Thursday in The Lancet and conducted by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), represents the most comprehensive assessment of child hunger in Gaza to date.
Researchers screened nearly 220,000 children from dozens of health centers between January 2024 and mid-August 2025, measuring mid-upper arm circumferences – a globally recognized method for assessing nutritional stress.
Children with arms less than 125 millimeters (4.9 inches) were classified as acutely malnourished.
