Child deaths from extreme hunger mount as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues

• More than half a million children are now just a step away from famine.
• Two in every five children facing famine are also experiencing “an extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities”.

World Vision is warning that thousands of Gazan children could die of starvation or related diseases and that those who do survive will likely endure long-term physical and mental health challenges.

The organisation is responding to the news from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification’s (IPC) latest report which shows that even though famine is not currently occurring, the most extreme levels of hunger are now found in all parts of Gaza, putting everyone everywhere at “high risk of famine”.

More than half a million children are just a step away from famine, experiencing ‘emergency’ or ‘catastrophic’ conditions. Two in every five of these children are also experiencing “an extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities”.

“There is a high and sustained risk of famine across the whole Gaza Strip” since the situation began deteriorating in May. The report proves that reliable humanitarian access and the deployment of nutrition interventions are able to avert famine, which should encourage world leaders to take further necessary action to save children as the earlier “improvements could be rapidly reversed” if they do not.

“It is shocking that the humanitarian needs in Gaza have reached catastrophic levels over the past eight months, and children are the ones who will continue to be disproportionately affected,” says Eleanor Monbiot, World Vision Regional Leader, Middle East Eastern Europe.

“Extreme hunger and child deaths are preventable if appropriate urgent humanitarian support reaches them. The IPC’s latest report shows that time has already run out for more than half a million Gazan children and will soon run out for a half million more.”

Secure access and humanitarian workers’ safety must also be prioritised to ensure lifesaving aid reaches children in danger.

“Amidst this conflict, children’s safety must remain the top priority. It is heartbreaking that while aid awaits distribution, children are in danger of starving to death. World Vision is calling for the urgent mobilisation of the international community to put an urgent end to this devastating crisis and rapid mobilisation of adequate aid.”

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