Gaza Health Ministry Reports 466 Deaths From Starvation

The Gaza Health Ministry announced on October 16 that at least 466 Palestinians, including 157 children and 189 elderly people, have died from malnutrition and starvation since 2024. The ministry reported that malnutrition has reached catastrophic levels, recording 158,000 cases of acute malnutrition among children under five through August 2026. Projections indicate that 1.4 million people, or 67% of the population, will face crisis-level food insecurity through the end of the year.

While a ceasefire since October improved aid access and reduced the immediate threat of famine, the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) warned that these gains are fragile. A new report indicates that only one in three children under two achieves minimum dietary diversity, and chronic malnutrition affects one in eight children under five. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also noted that funding shortfalls are reducing food-parcel distributions and hot-meal production.

Commercial supplies entering the enclave have recently halted, which UNICEF warns threatens current progress. The Cabinet of Israel stated that these imports stopped due to a tax dispute between local merchants and Hamas. In response to the crisis, the Gaza Health Ministry called for the unrestricted entry of food and medicine and the revival of local food production, while UNICEF urged that all crossings remain open to ensure a predictable flow of goods.