Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoWHO / GAZA MALNUTRITION
Download
There is no media available to download.
Share
STORY: WHO / GAZA MALNUTRITION
TRT: 05:38
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT WHO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGES: ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 02 OCTOBER 2025, AL AWDA HOSPITAL, NORTH GAZA
1. Wide shot, entrance to Department of Therapeutic Nutrition
2. Various shots, Amneh, sitting on a bed next to her son Shaher
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amneh Abu Autawy, Mother of patient Shaher Al-Qra':
“During my pregnancy period, childbirth, and postpartum, the situation was extremely bad due to malnutrition. I lost a lot of weight because of the lack of food, lack of protein, and lack of fish. We suffered a lot. It was very difficult for me: I weighed from 70kg to 46-47kg, and so I had a very difficult delivery due to malnutrition. My baby was born weak, and malnourished.”
4. Various shots, Amneh, feeding her son Shaher
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amneh Abu Autawy, Mother of patient Shaher Al-Qra':
“No, (his weight) is not increasing; the condition is very difficult, there’s no food, therefore I don’t have any milk to breastfeed him, and there’s no food in general. Since I am not breastfeeding him, he has no immunity either, he catches infections very quickly.”
6. Various shots, Amneh, feeding her son Shaher
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amneh Abu Autawy, Mother of patient Shaher Al-Qra':
“As you can see the baby is very tired, and weak, if I hold him like this, he won’t be able to hold himself, he has no immunity, there’s no food, there’s basically nothing. Even if I want to breastfeed him myself, I don’t have food for myself either. Look at his hand; there’s no muscles, there’s nothing, he’s weak. Four-month-old babies can at least sit, unlike my baby he can’t even do that. His health condition is extremely bad.”
8. Medium shot, health worker examining Shaher
9. Close up, Shaher lying on a hospital bed
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amneh Abu Autawy, Mother of patient Shaher Al-Qra':
“Of course, I’m afraid. It’s getting worse and worse every day. Actually, what’s coming next is way worse than what we went through. His situation is difficult, and we’re definitely afraid for the child.”
11. Various shots, a health worker weighing Shaher
12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Dr Rana Abu Zaatir, Head of the Department of Therapeutic Nutrition, Al-Awda Hospital:
“Large numbers of patients are coming to us from the southern Gaza Strip and from the southern areas. In addition to the increase in the number of cases, not only among children under five years old, but we have started to face new numbers and new cases that we encounter over five years old. As a result, we have begun to receive cases of severe malnutrition with medical complications from five to twelve years old. We also have recently begun to receive cases from the age of two months to six months.”
13. Various shots, a health worker measuring Shaher’s upper arm
(Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) measurement is a quick and easy way to assess a child's nutritional status, particularly to detect acute malnutrition. A circumference in red indicates severe acute malnutrition.)
14. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Dr Rana Abu Zaatir, Head of the Department of Therapeutic Nutrition, Al-Awda Hospital:
“We are in constant need of larger quantities of specialized nutritional supplements for young children, as well as pregnant and lactating women. Because it is a circle that all complement each other. If a pregnant woman suffers from malnutrition, there is a high possibility of miscarriage. Premature birth can be an emergency for a woman. The malnourished mother is unable to push the fetus out and thus unable to undergo labor and its complications. This also leads to babies being born with a low birth weight, which is not in line with the normal birth weight. Furthermore, during breastfeeding, the mother may be unable to provide the baby with the optimal amount of breastmilk, which causes the baby to remain underweight.”
15. Various shots, a health worker listening Shaher’s heart
16. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Dr Rana Abu Zaatir, Head of the Department of Therapeutic Nutrition, Al-Awda Hospital:
“There are large numbers of children and adults who have died due to malnutrition and its complications. Unfortunately, in the coming days and even in the coming period, if the crossings remain closed in this way and the prices of basic commodities continue to rise in this way, we will face a real disaster in the Gaza Strip due to malnutrition and the lack of sufficient food resources for a normal life for these people.”
17. Close up, Al-Awda signage
In 2025, WHO has verified 400 deaths in Gaza linked to malnutrition, including 101 children, of whom 80 were under five years old. Currently, only four malnutrition stabilization centers there remain operational.
The nutrition response faces severe operational challenges, including critical shortages of therapeutic foods (F-75, F-100, and RUTF) and a lack of space to expand stabilization services within existing health facilities.
Ongoing displacement orders in Gaza City have further disrupted program delivery, leaving thousands of children at heightened risk of preventable death.
