GAZA, 19 December 2025 – Four out of every five children in Gaza will enter the new year still facing crisis levels of hunger, despite the agreement by Israeli authorities two months ago to allow more aid in, including food, said Save the Children following the release of new hunger data.
Analysis of data released today by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) — the leading international authority on the severity of hunger crises—shows 1.6 million people, or 77% of the population, including about 800,000 children, will continue facing acute food insecurity into 2026.[1]
The IPC also stressed the urgent need for dietary diversity in the food entering Gaza with dairy, eggs, meat, fish and fresh fruit and vegetables largely unavailable in the markets.
Save the Children has repeatedly warned of the long-term damage to children’s physical and cognitive development without regular and nutritious food, with the little food available reportedly consisting of bread and processed foods high in sugar and salt.
Although limited humanitarian assistance has been allowed into Gaza in recent weeks, delivery remains inconsistent and substantially below ceasefire commitments. As a result, needs remain unmet and children are experiencing more severe and prolonged forms of malnutrition.
As winter sets in and families are still unable to return to their homes and are forced to live in battered tents or with no shelter at all, children are at high risk of diarrhoea, skin diseases like scabies, respiratory infections like pneumonia, and hypothermia. Malnutrition makes these risks more severe by limiting children’s ability to maintain body temperature and recover from illness.
This week, a two-week-old baby reportedly died from hypothermia, and at least 14 children, including newborn babies, died of hypothermia in the past two winters, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.
With almost the entire population forced from their homes multiple times due to Israeli bombardment, Save the Children staff at nutrition sites said patients have been unable to complete their malnutrition treatment. While at the height of military escalation in Gaza City in September, nutrition sites were forced to relocate, cutting off contact with communities.
Ahmad Alhendawi, Regional Director for Save the Children in the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, said:
“As the year draws to a close, the suffering in Gaza is far from over.
“These new figures should pull our attention back to Gaza once again. Hunger and malnutrition bring multiple physical harms to children’s bodies. But the impacts are not just short term. We know from experience that for any community, widespread malnutrition has lifelong consequences for people — from underweight newborns and stunted growth in early childhood to reduced learning and earning potential later in life — perpetuating cycles of poverty. As well as inflicting harm on individuals, these are consequences that threaten the very fabric of Palestinian society for generations to come.
"These are ordinary children and families who just want to pick up their lives after years of horror. But day after day, a safe and healthy future gets further out of reach.”
Save the Children is calling for the pause in hostilities in Gaza to turn into a definitive ceasefire, and for Israeli authorities to lift the siege, ensure all border crossings are open and fully operational both ways, and that aid restrictions are removed and services resumed.
Save the Children, alongside local partners, is delivering lifesaving services to children and families across the occupied Palestinian territory and has been working there for over 70 years.
In Gaza, Save the Children currently screens over 14,000 children monthly for malnutrition through 10 Mother Baby Areas and at our Primary Healthcare Centres, 10% of these children are admitted for malnutrition treatment. In the last four months, an average of 1,335 pregnant and breastfeeding women were screened monthly. About 1,400 babies and over 400 mothers currently benefit from our Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) assistance.
To continue doing this and all our work we need the access and funding to ensure aid flows at the scale and pace needed to address growing needs.
ENDS
· [1] Defined as IPC Phase 3 or above GAZA STRIP: Famine conditions offset, but situation remains critical | IPC - Integrated Food Security Phase Classification
· Famine was confirmed in Gaza Governorate in August Children Starved in Plain Sight as Famine Confirmed in Gaza – Save the Children | Save the Children International
*******************************************************************************************************************
- Our media out of hours (GMT) contact is [email protected] / +44(0)7831 650409