GAZA – Gaza is on the verge of exhausting its emergency food supplies for severely malnourished children, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned, amid mounting fears that the nutrition crisis in the besieged territory could spiral further out of control.
Speaking to Reuters on Thursday, UNICEF spokesperson Salim Oweis said stocks of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF)—a lifesaving treatment for acute malnutrition—would run out by mid-August if urgent deliveries are not made.
“We are now facing a dire situation—we are running out of therapeutic supplies,” Oweis said from Amman, Jordan. “That’s really dangerous for children as they face hunger and malnutrition at the moment.”
UNICEF currently has enough RUTF to treat just 3,000 children, even though 5,000 were treated in the first two weeks of July alone.
Treatment Supplies at Crisis Levels
The RUTF supplies, including nutrient-rich peanut paste and fortified milk biscuits, are critical in saving children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, a condition that can lead to death or long-term health complications if untreated.
The World Health Organization (WHO) echoed the alarm, warning that most existing therapeutic food supplies have already been consumed.
A spokesperson said a vital nutrition programme for vulnerable groups—including pregnant women and children under five—may have to shut down altogether due to dwindling supplements.
From April to mid-July, UNICEF admitted over 20,500 children with acute malnutrition in Gaza, including 3,247 suffering from the most severe form—nearly three times the number reported in the first quarter of the year.
Deaths From Starvation Rising
The situation has already turned fatal for some. On Thursday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said two more people died of starvation overnight, bringing the total number of starvation deaths to 113—the majority occurring in the past few weeks.
WHO said 21 children under five have died of malnutrition so far in 2025.
Blocked Aid and Delayed Relief
International aid agencies say the worsening crisis is the result of months-long restrictions on aid deliveries.
Israel had completely cut off supplies to Gaza in March 2025, amid the ongoing war with Hamas, only partially reopening the crossings in May under strict controls.
Israel says the restrictions are necessary to prevent aid from being diverted by militant groups.
However, humanitarian organizations argue that only a trickle of aid—including food and medicine—is getting through to the 2.2 million people living in Gaza.
In response to queries about RUTF supplies, COGAT, Israel’s military aid coordination agency, said it is working with international partners to improve the flow and distribution of aid.
It claimed hundreds of aid trucks are currently waiting at border crossings.
Save the Children Warns of Domino Effect
Aid groups such as Save the Children, which run malnutrition clinics in Gaza, say they are already out of their own stocks and are now fully dependent on UN supplies.
“If UNICEF runs out, that’s going to affect all of us,” said Alexandra Saieh, the organisation’s Global Head of Humanitarian Policy. “We haven’t been able to bring in supplies since February.”
As humanitarian agencies scramble to find solutions, time is running out for thousands of vulnerable children in Gaza.
“Every day without these therapeutic foods increases the risk of irreversible damage—or death—for children,” Oweis warned. “This is not just a food issue. It’s a matter of life or death.”
