DaysofPal- The United Nations on Monday warned that child malnutrition in the Gaza Strip has reached critical levels, with nearly 95,000 cases recorded in 2025, as severe winter conditions threaten fragile humanitarian gains.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric cited the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), saying that “The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip remains dire, as harsh weather conditions are jeopardizing the progress made by the humanitarian response.”
He reported that humanitarian agencies leading nutrition efforts continue to identify large numbers of children in urgent need.
“Last month alone, over 76,000 children were screened, with around 4,900 cases of acute malnutrition identified, including more than 820 cases of severe acute malnutrition,” Dujarric said.
“This brings the total number of acute malnutrition cases in 2025 to nearly 95,000.”
In addition to nutrition support, UN partners have been providing shelter and winter assistance. Supplies, including tents, tarpaulins, and blankets, were delivered to 28,000 families. However, Dujarric warned that “1.1 million people still urgently need help as rainstorms continue to damage and destroy many existing shelters.”
He emphasized that tents remain a temporary solution and that durable aid, such as toolkits, cement, and heavy machinery to clear debris, alongside sustained funding, is urgently needed to transition from emergency relief to early recovery efforts.
Children remain among the most vulnerable. Since the ceasefire and through the end of the year, UN partners distributed more than 310,000 winter clothing sets for children and over 112,000 pairs of shoes. In addition, 150 specialized tents were installed across Gaza to serve as child-friendly and safe spaces.
Education in Gaza also faces significant challenges. UN education partners opened 18 additional temporary learning spaces last month, bringing the total to 440 sites serving around 268,000 children.
Dujarric highlighted, however, that education supplies continue to be blocked by Israeli authorities, who argue that education is not a critical activity during the first phase of the ceasefire. “We do believe that it is a critical activity,” he said, calling for rapid and unimpeded access to allow aid partners to scale up support and prevent further deterioration.
Regarding the ongoing damage in Gaza, Dujarric urged a halt to destruction and called for a move toward reconstruction.
“We want to see the parties move towards phase two to try to rebuild,” he said.
The current ceasefire, which took effect 11October 10 under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, ended two years of Israeli attacks that killed more than 71,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,000 since October 2023.
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