GENEVA

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday said the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate rapidly, particularly for children facing acute malnutrition.

Between January and June this year, at least 19,089 children aged six to 59 months were admitted for treatment of acute malnutrition – an average of over 100 children per day, according to WHO's oPt Emergency Situation Update covering the period from Oct. 7, 2023 to June 30, 2025

"Given the critical shortage of nutrition supplies in Gaza, the situation is expected to deteriorate further without immediate intervention," according to the WHO.

"People in Gaza are starving, sick and dying, while food and medicines are minutes away across the border. Without immediate access to food and essential supplies, the situation will continue to deteriorate, causing more deaths, and descend into famine," the organization told Anadolu.

The UN public health agency also raised alarm over the worsening food security in the enclave.

"Food security continues to deteriorate across Gaza, with persistent famine risks and serious challenges in accessing available food supplies, particularly those who are the most vulnerable, due to limited aid entry and ongoing looting and militarized distributions. Families generally survive on a single nutritiously poor meal per day, and in some cases, people go entire days without eating," it said.

Citing data from Gaza's Health Ministry, the WHO said that 61 malnutrition-related deaths have been reported within its health facilities since October 2023.

The UN agency has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance. The Gaza Health Ministry confirmed that at least 18 people died from starvation over the past 24 hours alone.

Israel has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, collapsed the health system, and led to severe food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.