Published by Action Against Hunger.
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NEW YORK, NY and JERUSALEM, ISRAEL / ACCESS Newswire / August 7, 2025 / The latest data from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirms the worst-case scenario in Gaza: famine indicator thresholds have been reached in most of the Gaza Strip. Since April, more than 20,000 children have been hospitalized for acute malnutrition. At least 16 children under the age of five have died from hunger-related causes since 17 July, and 3,000 more are in critical condition.
For months now, Action Against Hunger teams on the ground have been witnessing the calamity. "Famine is not just a statistic. It is the result of a slow and painful process that shrinks organs, collapses the immune system, and impairs cognitive abilities," explains Natalia Anguera, Action Against Hunger's Head of Operations for the Middle East. "Every day that passes without full and safe access to food, we are condemning thousands of people to avoidable suffering."
In July, more than 25% of pregnant and breastfeeding women assessed by Action Against Hunger teams were malnourished, representing a 16% increase from the previous month. According to OCHA, nearly 100% of children between 6 and 23 months and pregnant and breastfeeding women are unable to meet basic nutritional needs. As a result, 300,000 children under five and 150,000 women urgently need therapeutic nutritional support.
"The first thing I saw when I entered Gaza was destroyed buildings and areas with no signs of life," said one technical specialist in Gaza. "In the displacement camps, children collected food in silence, avoided eye contact and retreated to their tents, trying to protect what dignity they had left in a situation that had taken so much from them."
Humanitarian Access, Not Logistics, Is the Barrier
"No new aid delivery model will work - not a dock, not an air drop, not an isolated center - unless the siege is lifted completely and permanently," Anguera emphasized. "Humanitarian access is the problem, not logistics,"
Without full access, aid will remain insufficient. The little aid that does arrive is often unsuitable because it requires fuel and clean water for preparation, both of which are virtually non-existent in the Strip. Anguera adds that "Current distribution points are far away, dangerous to reach, and operate on a first-come-first-served basis, which excludes the most vulnerable."
Families in Gaza resorted to extreme coping strategies months ago, such as skipping meals, rationing bread, borrowing food, begging, and scavenging through rubbish. But these strategies are no longer done to stretch resources - they are done as desperate acts of survival.
Action Against Hunger's Response Amid Scarcity
Despite facing severe hunger and danger, Action Against Hunger staff continue to operate in the Gaza Strip, providing critical care to thousands of women and children. Nearly 400 children under five are currently receiving treatment for malnutrition in our clinics, the highest caseload since the conflict began.
Critical supplies for treating malnutrition are scarce. Therapeutic foods, supplements for infants, and micronutrients for pregnant women are running out. "A trickle of aid is not enough to sustain a population of two million people who have been on the brink of famine for almost two years," says Natalia Anguera. "We need all administrative barriers to the import of goods to be removed, all borders to be open and operational, and access to all areas of the Gaza Strip to be allowed."
A Call for Immediate and Unrestricted Action
Action Against Hunger reiterates its commitment to initiatives which facilitate impartial, rapid, and evidence-based humanitarian action that reaches the people who need it most.
Action Against Hunger calls on all parties to:
Secure an immediate and permanent ceasefire and release of hostages.
Ensure safe, regular and unrestricted access for humanitarian aid at all points across and within the Gaza Strip.
Fully reopen border crossings and corridors, including the restoration of commercial goods flows.
Give assurance of a humanitarian response system led by the UN and independent organizations.
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Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 21 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across over 55 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.
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SOURCE: Action Against Hunger
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/famine-is-unfolding-in-gaza-as-acute-malnutrition-surges-over-20-1058117
