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Israel is weaponizing hunger in the Gaza Strip: UN Commission

By Laura Carlit Sep 21, 2025 | 6:00 AM

The United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says child malnutrition in the Gaza Strip is worsening.

“In August, 1 in 5 children in Gaza City was diagnosed with acute malnutrition and in need of the life-saving nutritional support and treatment that UNICEF provides,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell in a statement.

Russell also said that while more supplies have entered the Gaza Strip, the military escalation has forced nutrition centres to close.

“Nutrition services must be protected in Gaza City and across Gaza. No child should suffer from malnutrition”, she said

Pregnant and breastfeeding women are also severely affected by insufficient food. One out of five babies born in the Gaza Strip are born prematurely or underweight.

Many essential items remain unaffordable or unavailable for the most vulnerable families.
UNICEF is calling on all parties to reinstate a ceasefire and protect civilians and critical infrastructure like hospitals and nutrition centres.
The agency urged Israel to allow unimpeded humanitarian aid into Gaza and called on Hamas and other armed groups to release all remaining hostages.
While the famine continues throughout the strip, a United Nations Commission on Inquiry found Israel ‘guilty’ of genocide.
In the section where they documented findings on the impacts of reduced healthcare and food on children, they wrote
“Particularly concerning is Israel’s refusal to allow basic essential supplies, such as special infant milk, into the Gaza Strip, which has led to serious complications and fatalities.”
The 72-page report concluded that Israeli authorities targeted and destroyed school systems, deliberately crippling the Palestinian’s ability to preserve their identity as a people. The destruction of schools also ensured that Palestinians would not be able to seek refuge in these places.

In this episode of Almost 107, host Laura Carlit speaks to professor and pediatric dietitian Dr. Brenda Hartman to understand what truly happens in a child’s body when they’re experiencing severe malnutrition.

 
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