More than 54,600 children below 5 may be acutely malnourished in Gaza - study

After two years of war and dire food shortages, more than 54,600 children younger than 5 in Gaza may be acutely malnourished, with more than 12,800 severely affected, according to a new study by a U.N. agency.

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By early August, roughly 16% of children ages 6 months to just under 5 years in Gaza were suffering from a life-threatening type of malnutrition known as acute wasting, including nearly 4% with severe wasting, according to the analysis by the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the primary health care provider to Palestinian refugees in the region.

Wasting requires treatment with therapeutic food over several weeks and, sometimes, hospitalization.

The study, published Wednesday in The Lancet medical journal, is the most comprehensive study of child hunger in the region to date, the authors said. It relied on screenings of nearly 220,000 children from dozens of health centers and medical sites in Gaza between January 2024 and mid-August.