247 – Gaza is on the brink of an even greater humanitarian tragedy, with the imminent lack of essential therapeutic foods to save the lives of severely malnourished children. The warning was made this Thursday (25) by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other international agencies, in a report by Reuters. The humanitarian crisis is the consequence of the genocide promoted by the Israeli government, in the face of the silence and complicity of Western powers.
"We are now facing a critical situation; we are running out of therapeutic supplies," said Salim Oweis, UNICEF spokesperson in Amman, Jordan. He explained that stocks of ready-to-use food (RUTF)—essential for treating acute malnutrition—are expected to run out by mid-August if they are not replenished."This is truly dangerous for children, who are already facing hunger and malnutrition at this time," he added.
UNICEF reported that only enough supplies remain to treat 3,000 children, an insufficient number given the growing demand. In the first two weeks of July, the organization treated 5,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition in Gaza. The therapeutic foods include high-calorie biscuits and peanut butter with powdered milk—indispensable supplies in the fight against severe malnutrition.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also sounded the alarm: most of the treatment supplies have already been consumed, and what's still available is expected to run out soon. A WHO program to prevent malnutrition in pregnant women and children under five could be interrupted due to a lack of supplements.
The famine in Gaza has been worsening rapidly since Israel launched its military offensive against the Hamas group in October 2023. In March, the Israeli government imposed a complete blockade on the Gaza Strip, cutting off supplies of food, water, and medicine. Although the siege was partially lifted in May, restrictions persist, preventing sufficient humanitarian aid from reaching the area.
The result of this policy, according to international aid agencies, is that only a fraction of what is needed is reaching the population. Israel claims it has allowed aid in and holds Hamas responsible for the population's suffering. The military agency COGAT, which coordinates the flow of aid, told Reuters that it is working with international organizations to improve distribution, although hundreds of trucks remain blocked at the borders.
Save the Children, which runs a clinic in Central Gaza, said it has been unable to send its own supplies since February and relies entirely on UN shipments."If UNICEF supplies run out, it will also affect partners and other organizations that rely on these supplies to care for children," warned Alexandra Saieh, the organization's head of global humanitarian policy.
Between April and mid-July, UNICEF admitted 20,504 children with acute malnutrition, 3,247 of whom were severely malnourished—nearly triple the number recorded in the first quarter of 2025. The WHO confirmed that at least 21 children under the age of five have died from malnutrition this year. The Gaza Ministry of Health also announced that two people died of starvation overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, bringing the death toll from starvation to 113—most of them in recent weeks.
The dramatic image of the crisis was captured by Reuters photographer Mohammed Salem, who captured Palestinian mother Ghaneyma Joma next to her severely malnourished son Younis at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Faced with extreme shortages and the obstruction of aid, humanitarian agencies are increasingly calling for urgent international action. Israel's continued policy of blockade and destruction has accelerated the genocide of a people, with thousands of children being driven to death by starvation.
