Gaza health ministry warns catastrophic malnutrition and starvation amid fragile ceasefire
The Palestinian Ministry of Health says Gaza’s malnutrition and starvation have hit catastrophic levels, with 466 deaths since 2024, including many children.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports that malnutrition and starvation in Gaza have reached catastrophic levels, with at least 466 deaths since 2024, one-third of them children. Elderly Palestinians suffered the most fatalities, representing 40.5 percent of the death toll, while 11 percent of older adults went a full day without food and nearly half reduced portions for their families. The ministry projects that 74,200 children will require acute malnutrition treatment by April 2027, and anaemia among pregnant women has climbed to 61 percent, up from 41 percent before the war.
Over 1.4 million residents - about 67 percent of Gaza’s population - face crisis-level food insecurity through the end of 2026. UNICEF’s latest report notes that the October ceasefire allowed more aid in, but warns that any interruption could reignite famine, urging continuous, predictable deliveries. Israel has claimed recent supply halts stem from a tax dispute with Hamas, a charge the Palestinian group calls baseless, while Gaza’s government media office denounces the claim as disinformation. The health ministry calls for unrestricted entry of food and medicine and support for reviving local food production.
Why it matters
The crisis threatens a humanitarian disaster in Gaza, affecting millions and risking broader regional instability.
How this story developed
- Sep 17 Gaza families face new evacuations and food shortages a year after ceasefire
- Sep 28 A six‑storey apartment block collapsed, killing 21 people and prompting a lengthy rescue effort.
- Oct 6 Israel's Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, has asked Mayor Zohran Mamdadi to attend a screening of an IDF-produced film about the Oct. 7 Hamas assault.
- Oct 8 Israel’s ambassador issued a public rebuke of the mayor’s remarks while his son was in intensive care.
- Oct 9 Mayor Mamdani was booed at a Union Square vigil and confronted by anti‑Israel demonstrators at a city memorial.
- Oct 9 Field reports recorded at least 19 Israeli settler assaults on Palestinians by midday Friday, targeting farmers, trees and livestock during the olive harvest.
- Oct 10 Israeli forces issued new evacuation orders for multiple Gaza neighborhoods.
- Oct 11 Naza, the second Gaza-focused film by directors Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham, is being shown in 84 Dutch cinemas, including Pathé venues that rarely screen documentaries. Audience reactions are described as silent and intense, with many viewers left visibly shaken. The film has sparked protests by pro-Israeli groups in Amsterdam and Delft, while Israeli leaders have condemned it as betrayal. Distributors report no disruptions to screenings in the Netherlands or Belgium.
- Oct 12 The Israeli military issued a statement rejecting the documentary’s depiction of targeting procedures.
- Oct 12 A Gaza resident died of liver cancer after prolonged delays in medical evacuation.
- Oct 16 A settler was observed firing a gun during the latest assault.
- Oct 16 Israeli airstrikes on the cease‑fire anniversary caused new civilian fatalities.
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