Lancet study shows one in six Gaza under-fives acutely malnourished

A study published in The Lancet on Thursday found that nearly one in six children under five in the Gaza Strip are currently acutely malnourished, reflecting a sharp rise in child hunger during nearly two years of war and restrictions on humanitarian aid. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East conducted the study, screening about 220,000 children between January 2024 and mid-August 2025 and estimating that roughly 54,600 children in Gaza are acutely malnourished, including more than 12,800 with severe malnutrition.

UNRWA and the study’s authors say the trend has accelerated during periods of tightened aid access. Malnutrition among young children rose from 4.7 percent in January 2024 to 14.3 percent a year later, fell to 5.5 percent in March following a six week ceasefire, and climbed again to 15.8 percent by mid-August. In Gaza City the prevalence was estimated at 28.8 percent. Researchers extrapolated findings to an estimated population of 346,000 children under five in the territory.

The study defines acute malnutrition as a child being too thin for their height, a condition that signals rapid weight loss and deficits in energy,...