12.2% of Gaza children under five in accessible areas were stunted, while acute malnutrition was low, according to a UNICEF-led SMART survey conducted from May 31 to June 15.
73% of children aged 6–23 months had eaten unhealthy foods the previous day, only 22.4% received a minimum acceptable diet, and 37.1% of under-fives had diarrhoea in the prior two weeks.
Aid access after the October 2025 ceasefire helped improve recent nutrition indicators: treatment admissions for acute malnutrition fell from nearly 17,000 children in August 2025 to under 3,000 by March 2026.
The survey also found maternal malnutrition among females aged 15–49 and said the mix of stunting, wasting and 4.0% overweight points to poor diet quality, not just calorie shortages.
About 17% of Gaza’s population—roughly 358,000 people—was excluded because of access and security limits, and UNICEF warned gains could reverse without sustained aid, fuel, funding and open markets.