Lancet study finds that in Gaza @55,000 pre school age children acutely malnourished : Shared by Viviane Sakkal

 

Almost 55,000 Preschool Children in Gaza Acutely Malnourished, Lancet Study Estimates

Jason Burke and Andrew Gregory — The Guardian — October 8, 2025
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Summary
A new Lancet study led by UNRWA estimates that nearly 55,000 children under six in Gaza are acutely malnourished—a figure far higher than previously identified. Drawing on measurements of 220,000 children between January 2024 and August 2025, researchers found a direct correlation between Israeli restrictions on aid and sharp rises in child wasting. Rates doubled after the late-2024 blockade, eased briefly during a ceasefire, then soared again to nearly 16 percent by mid-2025, including 12,800 cases of severe acute malnutrition.

UNRWA’s Dr Akihiro Seita warned that more children will die without an immediate ceasefire and “unimpeded, competent, international humanitarian” access. The findings come amid renewed peace talks in Egypt and highlight the deadly consequences of food and medicine blockades. Experts writing in The Lancet called the study the most definitive evidence yet of “grievous, preventable harm to children.” The research also warns of lifelong health effects, including elevated risks of chronic disease.

UN figures show more than 1,400 Palestinians killed while seeking humanitarian aid between May and July 2025, most allegedly by Israeli forces near aid convoys or Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder described Gaza City as overwhelmed by hunger and panic, with two-thirds of residents unable to flee and pregnant women surviving on a single meal a day.

Quotes

• “More malnourished children will die unless there is an end to hostilities and unimpeded, competent, international humanitarian nutritional, medical, economic and social services.” — Dr Akihiro Seita, UNRWA Director of Health

• “Following two years of war and severe restrictions in humanitarian aid, tens of thousands of preschool-aged children … are now suffering from preventable acute malnutrition and face an increased risk of mortality.” — Dr Masako Horino, UNRWA Lead Scientist

• “It is now well established that the children of Gaza are starving and require immediate and sustained humanitarian assistance.” — Zulfiqar Bhutta, Jessica Fanzo, and Paul Wise, comment in The Lancet

• “These temporal data strongly suggest that restrictions on food and assistance have resulted in severe malnutrition among children … a reality that will undoubtedly impact their future health and development outcomes for generations.” — Bhutta, Fanzo & Wise

• “There are tens of thousands of children. About two-thirds of people just can’t leave. … There are pregnant women eating a meal a day.” — James Elder, UNICEF Spokesperson