NEW YORK, September 12, 2025 (WAFA) – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said child malnutrition rates in the Gaza Strip are rising at an alarming pace, with the latest data showing unprecedented levels of severe acute malnutrition among children screened in August.

In a press release issued Thursday, UNICEF reported that the overall rate across Gaza climbed to 13.5% last month, up from 8.3% in July. In Gaza City—where famine has been confirmed—19% of children treated were suffering from severe malnutrition, compared to 16% in July.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said that one in five children in Gaza City was diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition in August and required urgent, life-saving nutritional support provided by UNICEF.

She noted that while the organization has managed to bring more supplies into the Strip, ongoing Israeli military escalation forced about 10 nutrition centers to shut down, leaving children increasingly vulnerable.

Russell stressed the urgent need to protect nutrition services in Gaza City and across the Strip, adding: “No child should suffer from malnutrition that we can prevent and treat when we have safe access to deliver aid.”

M.N