(MENAFN) The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning about the escalating malnutrition crisis in the Gaza Strip, highlighting a troubling increase in fatalities during July.

In a statement released Sunday, WHO urged immediate and sustained intervention to deliver ample food supplies to Gaza. The agency emphasized the need to fast-track the distribution of therapeutic products for children and vulnerable populations, along with critical medicines and medical essentials.

Since May, cases of malnutrition have surged sharply. Data from the first half of July reveal that over 5,000 children under five received outpatient treatment for malnutrition, with 18 percent suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM).

To date in 2025, there have been at least 74 deaths linked to malnutrition, with 63 occurring in July alone. This grim tally includes 24 young children under five, one older child, and 38 adults.

Gaza City has emerged as the epicenter of this crisis, where nearly 20 percent of children under five are battling acute malnutrition. WHO cautioned that these figures likely underestimate the true scale due to limited access to healthcare facilities. The organization also noted that many pregnant women face critical malnutrition.

The surge in cases has overwhelmed Gaza’s only four malnutrition treatment centers, which are now critically low on fuel and medical supplies. Healthcare workers are stretched to their limits, battling exhaustion amid worsening conditions. Meanwhile, the collapse of water and sanitation infrastructure is fueling disease transmission, perpetuating a deadly cycle of illness and death.

Compounding the crisis, families are risking their lives in perilous conditions to obtain food. Since May 27, more than 1,060 people have been killed and 7,200 injured during attempts to access food resources.

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