As famine deepens in the Gaza Strip, health experts warn of a surge in cases of Kwashiorkor, one of the most severe forms of acute malnutrition. The disease is now threatening thousands of Palestinian children with slow and painful death.
Kwashiorkor occurs when children consume carbohydrates such as bread or rice but are deprived of protein. The result is fluid retention in the abdomen, face and limbs, giving the false impression of fullness while the body is starving. Doctors describe it as a silent killer, often mistaken for a sign of satiety, but in reality a symptom of extreme hunger.
UN reports confirm that more than 16,000 children in Gaza have been treated for malnutrition since the start of 2025. Over 5,000 were admitted in May alone, including 636 classified as Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). June recorded 6,500 cases, the highest since the beginning of the war, while July saw 5,000 children treated within just two weeks.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, 317 people, including 121 children, have died directly from famine and malnutrition. Aid agencies stress that the real death toll is much higher, with estimates of more than 62,000 Palestinians, the majority of them children, who have perished due to starvation and lack of medical care since October 2023.
Treatment for Kwashiorkor requires urgent and specialised intervention, including therapeutic rehydration solutions such as ReSoMal and careful reintroduction of protein to prevent what is known as Refeeding Syndrome. However, doctors warn that such treatment is almost impossible under siege conditions, where hospitals are destroyed, medicines are blocked and medical staff are overwhelmed.
Medical and humanitarian organisations describe the spread of Kwashiorkor in Gaza as irrefutable evidence of a deliberate policy of starvation imposed on civilians. They warn that an entire generation of children is at risk of being wiped out.
Source : Safa News
