UNICEF Warns of Malnutrition in Gaza

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed today, Monday, that civilians, including children, continue to be killed and injured in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, referring to reports of the martyrdom of several people, including a child, in airstrikes on Gaza over the past two days.

The UN office reported that an airstrike yesterday damaged three UN warehouses in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, according to UN News.

For his part, the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, reiterated during his daily press briefing the UN’s repeated calls for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure and that they must never be targeted.

In a related context, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released the findings of a new survey study highlighting the impact of the war on children and mothers, and the chronic malnutrition, poor diets, and child illnesses faced by families in Gaza.

The study was conducted between May 31 and June 15, following the expansion of humanitarian aid after the ceasefire agreement was announced in the Gaza Strip in October 2025.

The UNICEF study showed that acute malnutrition among children in accessible areas is relatively low, but the long-term picture is extremely concerning.

The study stated that chronic malnutrition, or stunting—an indicator of poor longitudinal growth reflecting the accumulation of nutritional and health conditions over time—affects 12.2% of Palestinian children under five years of age, while overweight affects 4% of them.

According to the study, the coexistence of stunting, wasting, and overweight indicates poor diet quality, not just a lack of food.

It stated that about 73% of children in Gaza aged 6 to 23 months consumed unhealthy foods, while only 22.4% received the minimum acceptable diet.

The UN Spokesperson commented on these figures, affirming that