More than 460 people in Gaza have died from malnutrition as hunger reaches 'catastrophic' levels

Malnutrition and hunger rates in Gaza have reached "catastrophic" levels, according to Palestine's Health Ministry, despite a US-brokered ceasefire that was meant in part to allow more food and medical supplies into the Gaza Strip as Palestinians face famine.

In a statement released Friday to mark World Food Day, Gaza's Health Ministry said at least 466 Palestinians have died from malnutrition and hunger since 2024, with children accounting for a third of the deaths.

Elderly Palestinians made up the largest share of malnutrition-related deaths, with 189 cases, or 40.5 percent of the total. The ministry said 11 percent of elderly people go an entire day without a meal, and 48 percent have cut their portions so their families can eat.

The agency estimated that 74,200 children will need treatment for acute malnutrition by April 2027.

Malnutrition has also pushed the anemia rate among pregnant women to 61 percent in 2026, up from 41 percent before the war erupted in October 2023. Nearly 4,000 miscarriages were recorded in the first half of 2026, more than three times the figure from the previous six months.

The Health Ministry warned that more than 1.4 million Palestinians — equivalent to 67 percent of Gaza's population — are projected to face crisis-level or worse food insecurity through the end of 2026 as winter approaches.

Gains against famine under threat

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said the gains made in addressing Gaza's hunger crisis remain fragile. The agency warned the situation could deteriorate because of disruptions to goods entering the Gaza Strip, and called for border crossings to be kept open.

A UNICEF report published Friday showed that although the October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas allowed more humanitarian aid and commercial goods into Gaza, acute malnutrition remains a present risk. The report said scaling up food and nutrition support, along with easing restrictions on imports of food and nutritional products, helped prevent a prolonged famine after one was declared in August 2025.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, UNICEF spokesman Ricardo Pires said flows of commercial and humanitarian goods must be maintained steadily and continuously. "The impact on children will clearly be felt if this is not addressed. We cannot go back to a situation where children and families are not receiving the supplies, goods and services they need," he said.

Israel said Wednesday that no commercial goods had entered the Gaza Strip for days, blaming the supply shortage on a tax dispute between local traders and Hamas. The Palestinian group rejected Israel's claim as "baseless," while the Gaza Government Media Office condemned what it called a blatant Israeli disinformation campaign and false claims. Israel's halt to supplies has cut off a source of food and essential goods in the territory, where most residents depend on humanitarian aid after three years of war, repeated displacement and stringent Israeli restrictions on aid deliveries.

Even before Israel's war in Gaza began in 2023, Israel's land, sea and air blockade restricted food, clean water, fuel and medical supplies entering the Gaza Strip. Gaza's Health Ministry called for international action to ensure unhindered delivery of food and medicine into the Strip, and urged support for restoring local food production.