Gaza Health ministry reports 466-hunger related deaths since 2024, including 157 children

Gaza Health ministry reports 466-hunger related deaths since 2024, including 157 children

Children have also been heavily affected, with the ministry recording 158,001 cases of acute malnutrition among children under five between 2024 and August 2026, including 28,716 severe cases that posed a risk to their lives.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says 466 Palestinians have died from malnutrition and starvation since 2024, including 157 children, as more than 1.4 million people are projected to face crisis-level food insecurity or worse through the end of 2026.

The ministry released the figures on Friday to mark World Food Day, warning that hunger continues to threaten children, older people and those with existing health needs as the war in the Palestinian territory continues into its third year.

Engineer Zaher Al-Wahidi, a spokesperson for the ministry, said a report by its Health Information Unit projected that 67 per cent of Gaza’s population would face crisis-level food insecurity or worse through December 2026.

“The Gaza Strip is entering its third year of a war that has turned hunger into a daily reality,” Zaher said.

According to the ministry, warnings of catastrophic hunger began in March 2024, when about 1.1 million people in Gaza were already facing extreme food shortages.

It added that famine was officially declared in Gaza Governorate in August 2025, while 1.6 million people, representing 77 per cent of the population, remained in crisis-level food insecurity or worse by the end of that year.

Latest Stories

• African countries could save billions by cutting air pollution and greenhouse gases at the same time
• Nominated Senator Crystal Asige joins Winnie Odinga and Jalang’o in Nairobi Senate race
• Tusker FC suffer home defeat as Singida strike puts CAF Confederation Cup hopes at risk
• Ecuadorian priest dies after giant wooden crucifix crashes down on him during live-streamed Mass

Older people, the ministry says,  accounted for 189 of the 466 reported deaths linked to malnutrition and starvation, representing 40.5 per cent of the total. The ministry also reported that many older people were struggling to get enough food while going without medication or reducing their doses because supplies had run out.

“11 per cent of the elderly went an entire day without a single meal; 48 per cent reduced their own food portions to provide for their families; and 68 per cent either reduced their medication dosages or stopped taking them entirely because supplies had run out,” Zahir said.

Children have also been heavily affected, with the ministry recording 158,001 cases of acute malnutrition among children under five between 2024 and August 2026, including 28,716 severe cases that posed a risk to their lives.

The ministry reported 94,086 cases in 2025 alone, the highest annual figure during the period covered. It also said 12.2 per cent of children under five were suffering from stunting, while an estimated 74,200 children would require treatment for acute malnutrition through April 2027.

Pregnant women have also faced worsening conditions, with anaemia prevalence rising from 41 per cent before the war to 67 per cent in 2025, before easing to 61 per cent in 2026. According to the ministry, nearly 4,000 pregnancy losses were recorded in the first half of 2026, more than three times the number in the last six months of 2025.

The ministry called on the international community and the United Nations to ensure the safe, sustained and unrestricted entry of food, medicines and therapeutic supplements into Gaza, prioritising children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and older people.

It also urged support for restoring local food production, arguing that access to adequate food remains a fundamental right during wartime.