The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that more than 10,000 children in Gaza City are in urgent need of treatment for acute malnutrition, as the Israeli army intensified its ground assault on the city on Tuesday.
Tess Ingram, UNICEF’s spokeswoman stationed in southern Gaza’s Al-Mawasi zone, described the humanitarian situation as dire, warning that “the forced and massive displacement of families from Gaza City is a deadly threat to the most vulnerable.”
Addressing journalists during a UN press briefing in Geneva, Ingram stressed that the rate of malnutrition among children is worsening. “We estimate that 26,000 children in the Gaza Strip currently require treatment for acute malnutrition, including more than 10,000 in Gaza City alone,” she stated.
According to her, the situation has reached unprecedented levels. She noted that in August, more than one in eight children examined across the Gaza Strip were found to be suffering from acute malnutrition, “the highest level ever recorded.” In Gaza City specifically, that ratio rose to one in five children.
The crisis has been compounded by the closure of nutrition centres in Gaza City this week, following evacuation orders and escalating military operations. Ingram said this disruption further endangered already malnourished children who are unable to access lifesaving care.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military insists that civilians moving south toward the Al-Masawi area will be able to access food, medicine, and shelter. However, aid workers and international observers highlight that Israel has repeatedly struck so-called “humanitarian zones” in Gaza throughout the nearly two-year-long war, claiming to target Hamas fighters.
“It is inhumane to expect nearly half a million children, battered and traumatised by over 700 days of unrelenting conflict, to flee one hellscape to end up in another,” Ingram said.
The UN estimates that about 40 percent of Gaza City’s population and its surrounding areas—around one million people—have already been displaced. An Israeli military official confirmed that roughly 150,000 people have fled Gaza City toward the south since mid-August.
Despite this mass exodus, UNICEF’s team on the ground reports that many civilians remain trapped “inside and around” Gaza City, unable to reach safer locations. Independent verification of claims from both sides remains limited due to media restrictions and challenges in accessing several areas.
The conflict traces back to October 2023, when Hamas militants launched an attack that left 1,219 people dead, mostly civilians, according to official figures compiled by AFP. In response, Israel has waged an extended campaign in Gaza that, according to the territory’s health ministry figures—deemed reliable by the United Nations—has killed at least 64,964 people, the majority of them civilians.
What you should know
UNICEF has issued a stark warning about rising malnutrition in Gaza, revealing that over 10,000 children in Gaza City urgently need treatment.
With nutrition centres closed, families displaced, and fighting intensifying, the humanitarian crisis is worsening. UNICEF stresses that children remain the most vulnerable, bearing the heaviest burden of nearly two years of relentless conflict.
