Overview

• By mid-August 2025, 15.8% of screened children were wasted, including 3.7% severely, equating to more than 54,600 under-fives with about 12,800 severely affected.
• UNRWA teams screened 219,783 children aged 6–59 months using mid‑upper arm circumference at 16 health centers and 78 medical points across Gaza.
• Wasting declined to 5.5% during a six‑week ceasefire that expanded aid flows, then rose again following an 11‑week blockade with severe restrictions on essential supplies.
• The IPC confirmed famine in Gaza City Governorate on Aug. 15, with wasting there reaching 28.8% by mid‑August and Rafah peaking at 31.5% in January before a temporary drop.
• Authors note surveillance limits due to access constraints and facility closures, therapeutic foods remain scarce, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports at least 460 hunger‑related deaths, and Israel denies responsibility for starvation.