Children Suffering Malnutrition in
Gaza
In Gaza, children are suffering from severe malnutrition due to limited access to
food, clean water and medical care. Children are starving and dying due to the
helpless situation in Gaza. This essay explores the causes of this crisis, the
current situation, and what the world must do to bring hope and healing.
Malnutrition is an imbalance between the nutrients your body needs to function
and the nutrients it gets. It can mean undernutrition or overnutrition. You can be
malnourished from an overall lack of calories, or you might have a protein,
vitamin or mineral deficiency. Malnutrition, both undernutrition and overnutrition,
can lead to a wide range of severe and long-lasting consequences, impacting
physical and cognitive development, immune function, and increasing the risk of
various diseases. In children, malnutrition can result in stunted growth, impaired
cognitive development, and increased mortality rates. In adults, it can lead to
weakened immunity, increased susceptibility to infections, and a higher risk of
chronic diseases. Due to the Gaza-Israel war taking place since 2023, the
population of Gaza has seen a noticeable decline, estimated to have declined 6%
after 2024. Studies have shown the major reason to the declination is that Israel
has killed over 59,000 Palestinians, injured 143,000 others, and pushed hundreds
of thousands into forced starvation caused by its blockade on the enclave and its
militarised distribution system. Increase in population has become inevitable due
to malnutrition in kids as well as infants. It is shocking to see that More than 100
aid groups operating in Gaza have cautioned that Israel's aid restrictions are
causing a hunger crisis, with Doctors Without Borders stating that “humanitarian
organizations are witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away
before their eyes which is painful and saddening. Medical sources say the 116
people killed on Saturday include 38 desperate residents seeking food at a GHF
site. The deaths occurred as Gaza’s Ministry of Health warned that hospital
emergency wards were overwhelmed by unprecedented numbers of starving
people, with officials saying that 17,000 children in Gaza are suffering from
severe malnutrition. The situation of pregnant women and newborns in the Gaza
Strip is beyond belief, and it demands intensified and immediate actions as fast
as possible. The situation is alarming and so the war needs to stop or cease in
order to attain peace and organization. The children of Gaza are suffering without
any reason which is no excuse to harm them.
To stop such a situation, steps must be taken to end this war. A group of twenty-
eight foreign ministers including Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom
condemned the recent deaths at food aid sites in a statement on Tuesday and
said that the war “must end now.” U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on
Thursday announced his team was cutting short its latest efforts to broker a
ceasefire and hostage deal, saying Hamas “shows a lack of desire.” He said in
a statement, “We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages
home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.” This
example shows that people have taken action and are ready to save people-
refugee or terrorist. Humanitarian watchdogs are calling for the immediate
reduction of bureaucratic barriers to bringing aid in and stopping the targeting of
aid workers. So, to stop the immensely severe situation of Gaza we must end this
war and stop terrorism to promote peace, fairness and well being.
