Warnings are mounting that hunger in Gaza is reaching catastrophic levels, with children bearing the brunt of a crisis that shows no sign of easing. Health officials say the coming months could see a sharp rise in severe malnutrition among the young, alongside pregnant and breastfeeding women, as food supplies continue to dwindle and living conditions deteriorate under a prolonged genocidal war.

Recent assessments indicate that the vast majority of residents are likely to remain trapped in acute food insecurity well into next year. What limited improvements have been recorded are described as fragile and easily reversed, particularly if aid routes are tightened or violence escalates further. Entire neighbourhoods have been reduced to rubble, livelihoods erased, and local food production crippled, leaving families dependent on irregular assistance that often fails to reach those most in need.

Medical care offers little refuge from the crisis. Only a fraction of health facilities are operating at even a basic level, many paralysed by shortages of medicines, equipment and fuel. Approval delays and access restrictions have compounded the problem, undermining efforts to treat malnutrition and prevent avoidable deaths. Doctors on the ground warn that without an immediate and sustained opening for medical and nutritional supplies, the territory risks sliding towards famine conditions within months.