Half a million women and children in Gaza lack basic nutrition services, on the brink of famine

Action Against Hunger launches new project in Deir al-Ba’a

Action Against Hunger, one of the few humanitarian organizations working on nutrition projects in the Gaza Strip, has launched a program to prevent malnutrition among pregnant and lactating mothers and children under the age of 5. Currently, more than 500,000 children and mothers need nutritional assistance, and half the population of the Gaza Strip – more than 1 million people – is at risk of starvation.

“We’ve been working on development programs in Gaza since 2005, but before October we didn’t have nutrition and health programs in Gaza because there was no need,” said the nutrition and health coordinator for the Action to End Hunger emergency team, who had just returned from Gaza. “But given the current situation, we are doing everything we can as quickly as possible.”

Many of the malnourished children, especially those as young as two, are in need of urgent medical treatment. “We see how food scarcity is affecting the development of children. Their growth rates are not proportionate to their age. Their vital organs, such as their heart, kidneys and lungs, are weakened. They are immunosuppressed and more susceptible to infections,” said a health coordinator, who declined to be named for safety reasons. “Additionally, some children have not been vaccinated for the past seven months and are living in very precarious conditions. They do not have access to proper sanitation infrastructure. In our hunger treatment centres, we receive sick children, especially those with coughs and possible pneumonia, and when we treat them in our clinics, we see that they are suffering from malnutrition.”

Action Against Hunger has launched a new nutrition programme to prevent and treat newborn and maternal malnutrition in Deir al-Balar. The team aims to reach more than 13,000 vulnerable people through the distribution of lipid-based nutritional supplements.

Before the current conflict, less than 1 percent of children under five in Gaza suffered from acute malnutrition, but the subsequent blockade of the Gaza Strip has led to catastrophic food insecurity.

“At the clinics where we work, we carry out anthropometric tests to measure upper arm circumference to determine if they are at risk of malnutrition. We then provide them with a 270-calorie, 50-gram supplement to be taken daily for 15 days,” said the hunger action’s nutrition and health coordinator. “After two weeks, they will receive their rations again for the next 15 days. We also provide breastfeeding and parenting training to the mothers before they return to their tents or shelters.”

The looming threat of famine in Gaza could be averted if humanitarian aid could pass unhindered along all land routes, basic services could run, and the deterioration of food security, health and nutrition situations could be halted, but without a permanent ceasefire, famine remains imminent.

Efforts to eradicate hunger in the occupied Palestinian territories

Action Against Hunger has been working in the Gaza Strip since 2005 and in the West Bank since 2002. Since October 7, we have provided assistance to over 837,000 people in the Gaza Strip, including over 709,000 people supported through our Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programs. Our assistance has included distributing hot meals and hygiene kits, trucking clean water to communities, referrals to shelters, and helping with solid waste management and removals.