Unexpected statistics on the hunger situation in Gaza – UNICEF

UNICEF has published the results of a large-scale study on the health and nutrition of children in the Gaza Strip. Surveying over two thousand families, experts found that acute malnutrition was recorded in only 1.3% of children, 12.2% had chronic stunting, and 4% were overweight. The data was collected from May 31 to June 15, 2026.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) released the results of a large-scale study on the health and nutrition of children in the Gaza Strip, published on August 24. The field phase took place from May 31 to June 15, 2026. A group of humanitarian organizations coordinated by UNICEF surveyed 2,089 families and checked data on 1,335 children under five years old. Key findings: acute malnutrition was detected in only 1.3% of the children surveyed. Chronic stunting was recorded in 12.2% of toddlers. An unexpected result was that 4% of children were found to be overweight. The quality of nutrition remains low—only 22.4% of children aged six months to two years received food meeting minimum standards. The report's authors emphasize limitations: due to hostilities, specialists could not access all areas, leaving out territories where about 358,000 people live (approximately 17% of the sector's population). The data reflects the situation only for late May to the first half of June, and indicators may change rapidly.