jordan pulse -

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip stated on Friday that 466 people have died due to malnutrition and starvation since 2024, including 157 children and 189 elderly individuals, warning of the continuation of catastrophic levels of malnutrition across the Strip.
​In a press statement issued on World Food Day, the Ministry added that 158,001 cases of acute malnutrition were recorded among children under the age of five from 2024 through August 2026, including 28,716 severe, life-threatening cases.
​The Ministry anticipated that over 1.4 million people—equivalent to 67% of the Strip's population—will face food crisis levels or worse through the end of 2026 amid the ongoing impacts of the war, pointing out that famine was officially declared in the Gaza Governorate in August 2025.
​"The mortality rate for children under five rose from 13.6 to 33.4 deaths per thousand live births between 2022 and 2025, while 12.2% of children suffer from stunting, and 74,200 children are in need of treatment for acute malnutrition through April 2027."
— Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip
​Regarding maternal health, the Ministry indicated that the prevalence of anemia among pregnant women surged to 61% in 2026, compared to 41% prior to the war, with nearly 4,000 cases of pregnancy loss recorded during the first half of the year—more than triple the number of cases recorded in the preceding six months—noting that one in every three pregnancies is now classified as high-risk.
​The Ministry further reported that 11% of elderly individuals did not consume a single meal over an entire day, while 48% reduced their food rations in favor of their families, and 68% stopped or reduced their medication doses due to supply shortages.
​Source: Rum News Agency