Gaza Children Suffer Severe Stunting as 74,000 Still Need Malnutrition Treatment Through 2027
Updated
Updated · Middle East Eye · Aug 19
Gaza Children Suffer Severe Stunting as 74,000 Still Need Malnutrition Treatment Through 2027
3 articles · Updated · Middle East Eye · Aug 19
Summary
12.5kg at age six, Gaza City child Amira Rashid is so malnourished that doctors say her bone age is closer to two and her body no longer responds to treatment available inside Gaza.
Doctors and families say prolonged food shortages during Israel’s siege caused severe acute malnutrition and lasting physical and cognitive damage, with some children now needing medical evacuation abroad.
1.2kg at birth, 10-month-old Amna Abu al-Hasani was born prematurely after her mother went hungry in pregnancy and now faces heart, kidney and lung complications alongside severe stunting.
Dozens of malnourished children arrive daily at al-Rantisi Hospital, where staff have opened extra wards but still lack adequate food, supplements, testing capacity and permission for timely medical travel.
74,000 children are still projected to need acute malnutrition treatment through April 2027 despite a post-ceasefire decline, while aid shortfalls, high food prices and damaged supply quality threaten further deterioration.