Daily, malnourished children are admitted to a hospital in Gaza, while Netanyahu continues to deny claims of widespread hunger.
In the besieged Gaza Strip, a catastrophic and rapidly worsening malnutrition crisis is unfolding, with over half a million people, including approximately half of the children, facing catastrophic hunger. The situation has been officially declared as a famine, marking the first time such a declaration has been made in the Middle East.
The malnutrition crisis has led to an alarming increase in deaths, particularly among children under the age of five. In July 2025 alone, more than 12,000 children were identified as acutely malnourished, including about one in four with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), the deadliest form of malnutrition.
The situation is so dire that 74 malnutrition-related deaths were recorded in 2025, with 24 children under five dying in July. Acute malnutrition among children under five has tripled since June 2025 in Gaza City, and doubled in other areas like Khan Younis.
The crisis is exacerbated by deliberate obstruction of food, aid, and medical supplies, devastation of agriculture (98% of cropland damaged or inaccessible), high food prices, lack of fuel and medicine, and mass displacement. Pregnant and breastfeeding women also face tripled rates of perilous malnutrition, impacting neonatal health as around 20% of babies are born premature or underweight.
Hospitals and emergency rooms are overwhelmed, with many people arriving in states of extreme exhaustion and physical collapse. Malnutrition-related deaths are rising among all age groups. Humanitarian leaders describe the situation as an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, calling for urgent international action.
One heart-wrenching case is that of Ro'a Mashi, a 2 1/2-year-old child who died in Gaza's Nasser Hospital with no preexisting conditions. Her decline accelerated after the family moved into tent camps on Gaza's southern coast two weeks ago. The family was reduced to one meal a day - often boiled macaroni.
Israel recently increased the amount of food entering Gaza, following a 2 1/2-month ban on all food, medicine, and other supplies. However, this increased food access might not help severely malnourished children like Ro'a Mashi, who died despite efforts to arrange a medical evacuation to Italy.
Shamm Qudeih, another severely malnourished child, weighing a third of a 2-year-old's normal weight, is currently in Nasser Hospital. His family applied for medical evacuation a year ago, but Israel slowed or halted evacuations for months.
Doctors in Gaza report that children like Ro'a Mashi and Shamm have wasted away over months due to food and treatment shortages. The World Health Organization suggests the numbers of malnourished children are likely an undercount.
Thousands of severely malnourished children need hospitalization for survival, but the current approach of increasing food supply won't help them. A planned Israeli offensive threatens to disrupt food delivery and cause a new wave of displacement in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated there is no hunger or policy of starvation in Gaza. However, the Gaza Health Ministry reports 42 children have died of malnutrition-related causes since July 1, along with 129 adults, and 106 children have died of malnutrition during the entire war.
The situation in Gaza requires immediate attention and action from the international community to prevent further loss of life and ensure the survival of thousands of severely malnourished children.
- In the midst of the worsening malnutrition crisis in the Gaza Strip, the conversation has extended beyond its borders to various aspects of health and wellness, including workplace-wellness, mental-health, and fitness-and-exercise.
- Awareness has been raised about the impact of chronic-diseases, such as type-2-diabetes and chronic-kidney-disease, which can be aggravated by malnutrition.
- Advocates for health-and-wellness suggest that improving nutrition, including the introduction of superfoods like CBD oil for skin-conditions, could provide some respite, as long as the situation remains stable.
- Simultaneously, the growing crisis has brought the issue of medical-conditions and therapies-and-treatments into the spotlight, with a focus on ensuring access to adequate healthcare for those affected.
- The American Medical Association, in light of the situation, has called for a special focus on eye-health, citing the potential long-term effects of malnutrition on vision.
- The crisis has also highlighted the importance of skin-care, given the exposure to harsh conditions and potential infections, especially among displaced individuals.
- Amidst the turmoil, General-news outlets have been publishing articles on war-and-conflicts and crime-and-justice, delving into the political dynamics that have led to the current state of affairs.
- Car-accidents, a common occurrence in times of mass displacement and chaos, have also been on the rise, fueling discussions about the need for stricter traffic regulations and emergency services.
- Interestingly, amidst the gloom, there's been a surge in sports-betting related to American-football, particularly NFL and NCAA-Football, offering a temporary distraction to some.
- Sports-analysis platforms have been engaging in spirited debates about upcoming football matches from the NFL and Europe's football leagues, notably football in the city of Gaza itself.
- Despite the crisis, the resilience of the people of Gaza has shone through, with stories of individuals turning to fitness-and-exercise and mental-health therapies for coping mechanisms.
- In these trying times, initiatives promoting workplace-wellness and stress-management are gaining traction, as people seek ways to maintain their wellbeing amidst the chaos.
- The«Food for Thought» initiative, focusing on providing educational resources about nutrition, is one such endeavor aiming to equip the people of Gaza with knowledge to improve their health and future prospects.
- As the world watches the unfolding crisis in Gaza, it's crucial to remember that every solution, be it related to health-and-wellness, politics, or general-news, should prioritize the wellbeing and livelihood of every individual, spanning all age groups from children to adults.
