Child Malnutrition in Gaza Cut in Half as Humanitarian Access Expanded, New MedGlobal Report Finds — Gains at Risk Without Sustained Support

“Aid Reached Them. They Recovered.” — released in the third-anniversary week of the war in Gaza, documents a 50% drop in acute child malnutrition and warns progress will reverse if aid falters

CHICAGO, October 13, 2026 — MedGlobal today released Aid Reached Them. They Recovered., a new nutrition assessment showing that acute malnutrition among children under five in Gaza fell by half between July 2025 and July 2026 — from 16.8% to 8.4% — after expanded humanitarian access following the October 2025 ceasefire allowed aid organizations to scale up nutrition interventions.

The report, based on a SMART-compatible assessment of 1,304 households across North Gaza, Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, and Khan Younis, also found:

• Severe acute malnutrition fell by 69%, from 6.8% to 2.1%
• Exclusive breastfeeding rose from 34.1% to 58.1%
• Minimum dietary diversity rose from 32.2% to 55.1%
• Maternal acute malnutrition declined from 22.2% to 17.4%
• Caregiver nutrition knowledge rose from 40% to 71%

The findings are corroborated by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), UNICEF, and the World Food Programme, which all attribute the improvement to large-scale humanitarian assistance.

The report follows MedGlobal’s July 2025 Starved by Siege assessment, which documented Gaza approaching famine conditions, with North Gaza recording acute malnutrition of 25.6%.

Dr. Zaher Sahloul, President & CEO, MedGlobal:

“A year ago, Gaza stood on the brink of famine. Today we can report something the world needs to hear: when aid reaches children, children recover. Acute malnutrition was cut in half — not by miracle, but by humanitarian access, therapeutic food, and health workers who never left their posts. But these gains are reversible. If the world looks away now, the numbers will reverse as quickly as they improved. We know how to treat malnutrition. What we need is the sustained access and funding to keep treating it.”

Dr. Salwa Elteibi, MedGlobal Gaza Director:

“Our teams witness this recovery every day — children who arrived skeletal are now playing, and mothers are breastfeeding with new confidence. But recovery is not the same as security. Most families in Gaza still depend on humanitarian assistance to eat. The evidence is now undeniable: aid works. The only remaining question is whether the international community will sustain it long enough to protect these children.”

But the report warns the recovery is fragile. The IPC projects 74,200 children aged 6–59 months will need treatment for acute malnutrition through April 2027, including more than 11,400 with severe acute malnutrition. The World Food Programme estimates approximately 1.4 million people remain food insecure and warns that up to 90% of Gaza’s population could return to severe food insecurity if assistance levels decline.

“Children in Gaza should not depend on changes in humanitarian access to determine whether they eat, recover or survive,” the report concludes. “The progress we have seen proves that malnutrition can be treated and prevented. The priority now is ensuring that access is sustained.”

The report calls on donors to maintain and expand nutrition funding, on humanitarian partners to sustain surveillance and community-based treatment, and on the international community to protect humanitarian access and ensure uninterrupted nutrition supply chains.

Over the past 12 months, MedGlobal reached more than 21,500 children with acute malnutrition treatment, screened over 100,000 children under five, screened more than 105,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women, counseled 65,704 mothers and caregivers, and trained 150+ health workers — through two nutrition stabilization centers, three hospitals, five medical points, and seven distribution sites.

About MedGlobal

MedGlobal is a humanitarian nonprofit organization that provides emergency response and health programs to build resilience among vulnerable communities around the world. The organization’s health programs support victims of crisis and conflict, refugees, internally displaced persons, and marginalized communities in disaster-affected and low-resource settings.

Since 2017, MedGlobal has impacted more than 40 million lives across 33 countries, with 95 percent of its work led by local health workers.

MEDIA CONTACT: 
[email protected]; 504-351-7635
Lucy Carradine, West End Strategy Team 

CHICAGO – A new in-depth report released by leading humanitarian aid organization MedGlobal finds that an alarming trend of extreme shortages of medicines and medical equipment is turning many treatable non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and kidney failure, into death sentences.  

“Silent Crisis”: The Collapse of Chronic Disease Care in Gaza,” makes clear: “Constraints on aid entry are a key barrier to treatment.” From March 3-11, 2026, MedGlobal conducted a rapid assessment based on interviews with frontline health professionals across all Gaza governorates, ultimately finding that Gaza’s health system is no longer able to sufficiently sustain chronic care. They found a collapse of essential medicines supply, gaps in critical medical equipment, mass disruptions in treatment, widespread deterioration in patient outcomes, and a rise in deaths.  

“In Gaza, an estimated 350,000 people living with chronic conditions face a rapidly deteriorating situation and preventable suffering,” 

Joseph Belliveau, MedGlobal’s executive director

“In Gaza, an estimated 350,000 people living with chronic conditions face a rapidly deteriorating situation and preventable suffering,” said MedGlobal’s executive director, Joseph Belliveau. “Our rapid assessment provides frontline clinical evidence that the conflict and supply restrictions have triggered a system-wide collapse in the continuity of NCD care, transforming manageable conditions into life-threatening emergencies. Without immediate intervention, deaths will accelerate.” 

The report found that 94% of surveyed health workers reported gaps in insulin availability for diabetes care. Over 30% of respondents report patients have stopped treatment entirely due to medicine shortages, while 28% are skipping doses to make limited supplies last longer.

More than 9 out of 10 health workers report increases in heart attacks and diabetic ketoacidosis (92% and 94% respectively), while 83% are seeing increases in strokes. 

“Every day, we witness patients with cancer, chronic illnesses, and kidney disease struggling to survive without access to the medicines and treatments they desperately need,”

Dr. Salwa Al-Tibi, MedGlobal’s Country Director in Gaza

“Every day, we witness patients with cancer, chronic illnesses, and kidney disease struggling to survive without access to the medicines and treatments they desperately need,” said Dr. Salwa Al-Tibi, MedGlobal’s Country Director in Gaza. “Behind every medicine shortage is a patient whose condition is worsening, whose suffering is increasing, and whose hope is fading.” 

“This crisis was as predictable as it was preventable. Treatable conditions like diabetes are turning into death sentences because basic medicine and equipment are not entering at scale almost nine months since the ceasefire deal. Medical supplies must be surged into Gaza immediately. Every day of delay is costing more patients their lives,” said Anastasia Moran, MedGlobal’s Director of Advocacy. 

MedGlobal calls for an immediate and rapid scale-up of medical aid, deployment of international medical teams, and an unhindered flow of humanitarian supplies, which are critical to stabilizing healthcare delivery and preventing further loss of life.  

Senior MedGlobal leaders and MedGlobal team members inside Gaza are available for interview to discuss the ongoing healthcare crisis in Gaza, and why ongoing medicine and medical equipment restrictions can be a death sentence for Palestinians with otherwise treatable conditions.  

MedGlobal is a humanitarian nonprofit organization that provides emergency response and health programs to build resilience among vulnerable communities around the world. The organization’s health programs support victims of crisis and conflict, refugees, internally displaced persons, and marginalized communities in disaster-affected and low-resource settings. 

Each week, we highlight the latest news related to the humanitarian and health crises in our countries of operation: Bangladesh/ Myanmar, Colombia/ Venezuela, Gaza/ Palestinan Territories, India, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. For more frequent updates, make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Cover Image: Clarke for UNOCHA

Latest News for July 2 – July 9, 2021

Bangladesh/ Myanmar 

COVID-19 cases in Cox’s Bazar have risen, but Rohingya are still waiting to receive their first vaccine dose. Despite the best efforts of health workers in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, officials report higher rates of COVID-19 cases in the last few days than have been seen recently. The Rohingya are included in the Bangladesh government’s vaccine rollout plan, but vaccine shortages have prevented any Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar from receiving the vaccine. (Dhaka Tribune)

Colombia/ Venezuela 

The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) makes donation to support integration of Venezuelan migrants into Columbia. Alongside the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), AECID has donated 50 million euros in loans to Barranquilla, a city in Colombia, in order to facilitate socioeconomic integration of Venezuelan migrants. Barranquilla has taken in 140,000 Venezuelan migrants, nearly 10% of the city’s total population. This donation is a good step towards filling the funding gaps seen so far during the Venezuelan migration crisis. (ReliefWeb)

Venezuelan migrants living in informal Columbian settlements struggle with malnutrition and water sanitation issues. An ‘endless lake of cardboard and tin shacks’ has sprung up as an informal settlement in Maicao for Venezuelan migrants entering Columbia. Food and water are both in short supply for the inhabitants of this camp, and the water that does enter the camp is extremely expensive and untreated. Many suffer from malnutrition and intestinal diseases related to untreated water. (The Guardian)

Gaza/ Palestinian Territories

Complex wounds have long-term health consequences due to limited health infrastructure in Gaza. Complex wounds during conflict often occur as a result of being hit by shelling or ammunition and need quick, responsive treatment, or amputation. These services are often beyond what local health services or aid organizations are able to provide. With health infrastructure on a decline, many Palestinians are suffering from chronic pain and deadly infections from complex wounds incurred years ago with no relief in sight. (The Guardian)

India  

As COVID-19 cases surge, poor families in rural areas have been hit the hardest. COVID-19 has devastated India’s economy, and has led to a 75% (on average) decrease in household income. Many have lost their jobs due to the pandemic. These conditions have compounded existing issues of debt and income inequality in rural areas, leading to an increased risk for malnutrition and preventable diseases for families unable to afford food or adequate shelter. (Reuters)

Lebanon  

Lebanon is a mere ‘days away from social explosion’. According to the World Bank, the world hasn’t seen an economic crisis like the current crisis in Lebanon in 170 years. Currency devaluation and chronic shortages leave Lebanese people quite literally in the dark as they struggle to pay for food & medicine, access health care, and pay for fuel amid a growing crisis. (The Independent)

Pakistan

The WHO announces commitments to address gender-based barriers to polio vaccination at the Gender Equality Forum (GEF). Women have long played a major role in Pakistan’s polio eradication programme, and are the main drivers behind vaccinations in hard to reach areas. These new commitments will support these women in their public health efforts,  prioritize full participation of women in health campaigns, and seek to understand and break down cultural barriers to vaccinations. (Global Polio Eradication Initiative)

Sudan

Rising greenhouse gas emissions put millions at increased risk of mosquito-borne diseases. The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) recently published a study in the Lancet Planetary Health journal stating how rising emission levels could lengthen the mosquito-borne disease transmission season by 4 months for dengue fever and 1 month for malaria. Conversely, the study provides insight into how global prioritization of lowering greenhouse emissions could have a significant, positive impact on health for millions of people. (The Guardian)

Syria

International Rescue Committee (IRC) data reveals an increase of suicide rates in North West Syria alongside record high need for humanitarian aid. As the deadline to renew the cross-border aid resolution in NW Syria fast approaches, new data shows a startling lack of mental health infrastructure in Syria. In NW Syria, there is only 1 psychiatrist per 1 million people. According to the IRC, 93% of people surveyed believe that suicide rates have risen in recent years. Depression, loss of hope, and domestic violence were cited as the main reasons for the prevalence of suicide in NW Syrian communities. (IRC)

Without a renewal of cross-border assistance in NW Syria, over 1 million will starve, education will suffer, and existing hospitals would be left without support. The vote to renew cross-border humanitarian aid at the Bab al-Hawa crossing has become politicized, threatening the health and safety of millions. According to Dr. Zaher Sahloul, president of MedGlobal, “The large-scale weaponisation of humanitarian aid is something that the Syrian regime invented.” Cross-line operations in Syria are described as ‘delayed, uncoordinated, and inadequate’, and no substitute for the magnitude of cross-border aid. (Middle East Eye)

Yemen

Two million Yemeni children are out of school due to ongoing armed conflict and economic collapse. This is double the number of children that were out of school in 2015, and UNICEF estimates that the number of children not receiving an education could rise to 6 million. Disruption in education during times of crisis perpetuates dangerous cycles of poverty, food insecurity, and lack of opportunity that all lead to negative health outcomes. (UNICEF)