New report – In Gaza, hunger is used as a weapon of war, warns Doctors of the World 

In an alarming report published today, Doctors of the World (Médecins du Monde) notes that in just a year and a half, acute malnutrition in Gaza has reached levels comparable to those seen in countries facing protracted humanitarian crises spanning several decades. The root cause: the siege imposed by Israeli authorities. Doctors of the World calls on States to take immediate action to prevent malnutrition-related deaths. 

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Over the past ten months, Doctors of the World has been monitoring acute malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women in up to six health centres operating in the besieged Gaza Strip. In 2024, nearly one in four infants under the age of one and 19% of pregnant and breastfeeding women were identified as suffering from acute malnutrition*. 

• In November 2024, the rate of acute malnutrition among children reached 17%, the highest recorded level that year. This spike coincided with a dramatic drop in the number of humanitarian aid trucks allowed into the enclave in October 2024. For context, in 2022, only 0.8% of children under five in Gaza were suffering from acute malnutrition, according to the WHO. 

• The truce that came into effect on 19 January 2025 led to a partial lift of Israeli restrictions and an increase in the flow of food supplies. As a result, rates of acute malnutrition among children fell sharply, dropping from 17% in November 2024 to 2.7% by February 2025. 

• This progress was quickly reversed by the total siege of aid imposed on March 2, 2025, followed by the resumption of hostilities by the Israeli army on March 18, in violation of the ceasefire agreement. In April 2025, one in five pregnant or breastfeeding women and almost one in four children examined in Doctors of the World centres were suffering from acute malnutrition or were at high risk of acute malnutrition. 

After more than 15 months of military offensive and Israeli siege on Gaza, acute malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women reported in the Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis governorates of Gaza reached levels similar to those in Yemen (around 11.5% in 2024 in clinics supported by Doctors of the World), a country that has suffered for more than ten years from war and is among the most food-insecure countries in the world according to UNICEF. 

“Starvation is being deliberately used as a weapon of war. The continued inaction of the UK, alongside some of the most powerful governments in the world, in the face of the Israeli authorities’ deadly blockade is indefensible – and could be judged as complicity under international law. Their “deep concern” means nothing without action. More than two million people are at stake.” – Simon Tyler, Doctors of the World Executive Director  

The facts are clear: this food crisis, which puts thousands of lives in danger, is man-made, and stems from decisions by the Israeli authorities to partially authorize or totally block humanitarian aid to Gaza. 

* According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a malnutrition rate of 10% is high, and 15% is critical. 

Note to editors: 

• From July 2024 to April 2025, Doctors of the World screened 10,740 children aged between 6 and 59 months and 3,963 pregnant and breastfeeding women as part of its nutrition program in the Gaza Strip, within its 6 primary health centres located in the governorates of Deir Al Balah, Khan Younis, Gaza and Rafah. 

•  This report is based solely on data collected from Doctors of the World’s direct operations in Gaza, and therefore provides only a partial overview of the widespread hunger caused by the Israeli authorities’ siege and military offensive. 

•  While emphasizing the human nature of the food crisis in Gaza, Doctors of the World is not in a position to declare a famine, as this would require comprehensive health data for the entire territory – data which the NGO does not possess. Whatever the terminology used, the situation described in this report is extreme and requires urgent action by third-party states. 

press contact: media@doctorsoftheworld.org.uk