Children are starving to death from dehydration and malnutrition in Sudan every day by IPC, Plan International, UNICEF, agencies   Aug. 2025   In response to the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report on the situation of famine in Sudan, Plan International Sudan’s Country Director, Mohamed Kamal, says: “We are already seeing signs of mass starvation in camps where mothers arrive unable to feed their children and today’s IPC forecast is a grave warning the situation is only going to get worse. Our fears are becoming a reality.   “This is the worst hunger crisis is the world right now – the conflict is entering its third year and the IPC have warned the situation is expected to deteriorate dramatically between July and September, with children most at risk. 24.6 million people in Sudan face high levels of acute food insecurity with 8.1 million facing emergency levels.   “Famine was detected in 5 areas in El Fasher and the Western Nuba Mountains and these areas are particularly difficult to reach to provide humanitarian aid as the security situation is so severe here. With the impending rainy season due, travel will be further hindered which will also drive-up food insecurity levels in the months ahead.   “Children are starving to death from dehydration and malnutrition in Sudan every day. Hundreds of thousands are malnourished. A 10-year-old girl recently told us that for months her only meal has been lentil soup every day and that she dreams of fruit.   “For girls and young women, the impact is especially severe – girls often eat last and least and are at greater risk of early marriage, as families struggle to feed their children.   “The inaccessibility of safe water has led to a widespread outbreak of cholera in many parts of the country with over 32,000 suspected cases recorded this year. Cholera can be deadly for malnourished and dehydrated children.   “Last month we saw an attack on a joint UN humanitarian convoy in North Darfur in which aid workers were killed and life-saving food and nutrition supplies destroyed rather than reach starving families. It is getting increasingly hard to operate in the most at need regions.   “As the conflict continues, farming is disrupted and Sudan faces serious economic instability and high inflation which limits people’s access to food. This has been compounded with overseas aid cuts as community kitchens who relied on this money can no longer operate.   “This is the world’s largest humanitarian emergency the international community must urgently support a peaceful resolution to this conflict, which has been devastating the people of Sudan for over 2 years.”   Dr. Unni Krishnan, Global Humanitarian Director at Plan International said:   “Hundreds of thousands of people are on the brink of famine, while tens of millions more have dangerously little to eat. Without a permanent ceasefire that allows aid to reach all parts of the country and a rapid, large-scale increase in humanitarian funding, countless more children will die from hunger and preventable disease. Now is the time to act to save lives.”   http://plan-international.org/news/2025/07/11/children-starve-famine-risk-persists-sudan/ http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-132/en/ http://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Alert_Sudan_July2025.pdf http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/en/?maptype=77108 http://www.wfp.org/news/one-year-after-famine-first-confirmed-sudan-wfp-warns-people-trapped-el-fasher-face-starvation http://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/sudan-attacks-kordofan-states-hundreds-deaths-displacement-collapse-services http://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/famine-tightens-grip-on-sudan-ingos-call-for-immediate-access-for-aid http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/children-sudan-reduced-skin-and-bones-unicef-calls-urgent-action http://www.unicef.org/sudan/press-releases/over-640000-children-under-five-risk-cholera-spreads-sudans-north-darfur-state http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/08/1165605 http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/08/1165580 http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/08/sudan-un-expert-concludes-official-visit-port-sudan-expressing-alarm http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-women-food-insecurity-and-famine-risk-sudan-gender-snapshot-21-july-2025 http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/number-severely-malnourished-children-doubles-north-darfur-nutrition-crisis-deepens http://www.savethechildren.net/news/sudan-children-reveal-harrowing-violence-latest-north-darfur-mass-displacement http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/ipc-alert-famine-affected-areas-sudan   * IPC Child Acute Malnutrition Classification latest: http://tinyurl.com/4n25jjbz Visit the related web page
	Gaza: 320,000 young children are at risk of acute malnutrition by Ramesh Rajasingham, Ted Chaiban UNICEF Deputy Executive Director   10 August 2025   Briefing to the UN Security Council on Gaza by Ramesh Rajasingham, OCHA Director of Coordination, on behalf of Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:   "The suffering endured in Gaza over the past 22 months has been nothing short of soul-searing. Our shared humanity demands that this unacceptable catastrophe is brought to an immediate end.   I will address three matters today: First, I am extremely concerned over the prolonged conflict and reports of atrocities and further human toll that is likely to unfold following the Government of Israel’s decision to expand military operations in Gaza.   This marks a grave escalation in a conflict that has already inflicted unimaginable suffering.   Now, for over 670 days, Palestinians in Gaza have endured daily killings and injuries. More than 61,000 people have been killed, including over at least 18,000 children, and 151,000 have been injured, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.   Meanwhile, 50 hostages are believed to remain in Gaza – with those still alive held in inhumane and appalling conditions.   Thousands of Palestinians, including women and children, remain in Israeli detention – many held without charge or trial, or the required safeguards.   A grim milestone has also been crossed in our sector, the humanitarian community: Over 500 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza since hostilities escalated, including at least 167 women. Smear campaigns against aid operations continue unabated. And as we approach World Humanitarian Day, we must insist on the protection of all aid workers.   Second, humanitarian conditions are beyond horrific. We have frankly run out of words to describe it. Whatever lifelines remain are collapsing under the weight of sustained hostilities, forced displacement and insufficient levels of life-saving aid.   Hunger-related deaths are rising, especially among children with severe malnutrition. Since the escalation of hostilities in October 2023, the health authorities in Gaza have documented the deaths of 98 children from severe acute malnutrition – 37 alone since 1 July – just over a month ago. So, this is no longer a looming hunger crisis – this is starvation, pure and simple.   Each day brings harrowing images of men, women, and children killed and injured while desperately seeking assistance.   Gaza lies in ruins. Almost everyone in Gaza has been forcibly displaced at some point over the past two years. Palestinians in Gaza have been forced into an area that amounts to less than 14 per cent of the territory, in areas that are not safe and are lacking basic services or shelter. Further expansion of military operations will make these conditions even worse.   Families in Gaza are living in insecure and overcrowded conditions, many without shelter. Eleven per cent of some 6,500 households surveyed recently by humanitarian partners were reported to be living out in the open. No organization – UN or otherwise – has been able to bring shelter supplies into Gaza since 2 March. The lack of adequate shelter is particularly worrisome, as we know that winter will soon be upon us.   Given the scale of repeated displacement and current living conditions, preventing the entry of emergency shelter supplies defies the obligation to allow humanitarian relief for the population in need.   The humanitarian system has effectively collapsed. Hospitals are not protected, doctors have been killed or detained, and facilities are working without sufficient medical supplies. Water and sanitation infrastructure are failing, and social cohesion is unraveling. How are the people in Gaza expected to survive in these conditions?   My third point: The recent military ‘tactical pauses’ have enabled some minor positive changes in humanitarian operations. Limited amounts of fuel have been allowed in, and on 5 August, Israeli authorities approved a mechanism for the gradual resumption of controlled commercial goods into Gaza. This has resulted in different types of food returning to markets and a slight decrease in some prices.   Our teams on the ground caution us that despite these developments, meaningful change for the population remains elusive, as humanitarian conditions remain largely unchanged.   Security conditions have remained volatile. Fighting has continued. Crossing arrangements have remained inadequate. Humanitarian missions, though less frequently denied outright, can still take over 18 hours, with teams stranded on dangerous roads.   Extreme desperation is driving people to take the humanitarian aid in transit – but this need not be the case. We've seen that when assistance is rapidly and significantly scaled up, incidents of looting and insecurity decline, and trust begins to be rebuilt.   The United Nations has the plan and systems in place to respond. We've said this before, and we will say it again and again: let us work. To assist all those in need, at scale, we must have predictable access – and the movement of life-saving goods must be more effectively facilitated.   It is equally critical that all humanitarian partners on the ground, including international humanitarian organizations, are allowed to deliver life-saving services. Registration processes for non-governmental organizations that the Government of Israel introduced earlier this year are concerning and risk further undermining operational capacity and continuity.   We remain deeply concerned about the ripple effects of the expansion of Gaza military operations on the West Bank, where military operations, settler violence and home demolitions persist at unprecedented and alarming rates. A year ago, the International Court of Justice determined that Israel must bring its unlawful presence, policies and practices to an end as rapidly as possible.   Developments in the West Bank worsen an existing humanitarian situation that sadly remains less visible – not because it is less severe, but because global attention has been drawn elsewhere.   Mr. President, Council members, and, indeed, the international community listening, States – all those with any influence – must look within our bruised collective conscience and summon the courage to do what is necessary to end this inhumanity and pain. It is also what international law demands.   Civilians must be protected and their essential needs must be met. Hostages must be released unconditionally. Arbitrarily detained Palestinians must be freed.   Israel must agree to and facilitate humanitarian relief operations, both into and within the Gaza Strip, to reach the population in need. The International Court of Justice’s provisional measures in the case on the application of the Genocide Convention in Gaza remain in place, including the demand that Israel take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance.   Life and dignity should be respected for all. International humanitarian law serves as a compass for conduct in war, and is designed to ensure a minimum of humanity. The parties and all States must honour their commitment to this. The suffering must stop.   http://www.unocha.org/news/ocha-urges-security-council-summon-courage-end-inhumanity-gaza   1 August 2025   UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban's remarks following his recent travel to Israel, Gaza and the West Bank:   "I just returned from a five-day mission to Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and I speak to you with deep urgency and profound concern today.   "This was my fourth visit to Gaza since the war began after the horrors of October 7th, itself building on decades of an unresolved conflict. You see the images on the news, and you know what has happened, but it is still shocking when you are there.   "The marks of deep suffering and hunger were visible on the faces of families and children. Over 18,000 children have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the war. That’s an average of 28 children a day, the size of a classroom, gone. Children have lost loved ones, they are hungry and scared, and they are traumatised.   "Gaza now faces a grave risk of famine. This is something that has been building up, but we now have two indicators that have exceeded the famine threshold. One in three people in Gaza are going days without food, and the malnutrition indicator has exceeded the famine threshold, with global acute malnutrition now at over 16.5 per cent [in Gaza City]. Today, more than 320,000 young children are at risk of acute malnutrition.   "On Monday, when I was in Gaza, I met the families of the 10 children killed and 19 injured by an Israeli airstrike while they were queuing for food with their mothers and fathers at a nutrition clinic in Deir el-Balah that UNICEF supports.. This simply should not be happening. The children I met are not victims of a natural disaster. They are being starved, bombed, and displaced.   "At a stabilisation centre in Gaza City, I met acutely malnourished infants whose bodies were little more than skin and bone. Their mothers sat nearby, desperate and exhausted. One mother told me she no longer produces breastmilk - she herself is too hungry.   UNICEF is trying to do everything we can to address the situation but the needs are enormous after 22 months of war, two months of a blockade, aid is not at the required scale to meet the overwhelming needs.   We have over 1,500 trucks of life-saving supplies ready across corridors in Egypt, Jordan, Ashdod, and Turkey.   "We have called for more humanitarian aid and commercial traffic to come in - moving closer towards 500 trucks a day - to stabilize the situation and reduce the desperation of the population.   "In order to address that, we need to flood the strip with supplies using all channels and all gates. This is not going to be achieved through humanitarian aid alone, and so we also pushed for commercial goods to get into the strip - eggs, milk and other essential supplies that complement what the humanitarian community is bringing in.   "We pressed for 'dual-use' items and more fuel to be allowed in so that the water system can be repaired. It is very hot in Gaza - 40 degrees -and water is in short supply, with the risk of disease outbreak looming everywhere.   "We pressed for a review of their military rules of engagement to protect civilians and children. Children should not be getting killed waiting in line at a nutrition centre or collecting water, and people should not be so desperate as to have to rush a convoy.   "We will continue to advocate so that the humanitarian pauses do not lead to further displacement, pressing the population into an ever smaller area.   "I should also say that I visited the West Bank. There, too, children are under threat. So far this year, 39 Palestinian children have been killed. I visited a Bedouin community east of Ramallah, which was forcibly displaced due to violence.   "We also met with Israeli children impacted by the war. Children who have endured fear, loss, and displacement. Children don't start wars, but they are the ones impacted by the wars.   "But today, I want to keep our focus on Gaza—because it is in Gaza where the suffering is most acute, and where children are dying at an unprecedented rate.   "We are at a crossroads. The choices made now will determine whether tens of thousands of children live or die. We know what must be done and what can be done. The UN and NGOs that form the humanitarian community can address this, along with commercial traffic, if the measures are in place to allow access and eventually have enough goods in the Strip that some of the issues that are there with law and order abate.   "Funding is needed. UNICEF’s appeal for Gaza is critically underfunded - only 30 per cent of health and nutrition needs are covered.   "We hope that the parties can agree on a cease-fire and the return of all remaining hostages by Hamas and other armed groups. This has gone on for far too long. 22 months. What is happening on the ground is inhumane. What children need - children from all communities - is a sustained ceasefire and a political way forward.   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/devastating-rate-child-malnutrition-gaza-strip-august-surpasses-july-record http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-attributable-unicef-regional-director-middle-east-and-north-africa-edouard http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-deputy-executive-director-ted-chaibans-remarks-following-his-recent-travel http://www.wfp.org/news/un-agencies-warn-key-food-and-nutrition-indicators-exceed-famine-thresholds-gaza http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-133/en/ http://www.nrc.no/news/2025/july/as-mass-starvation-spreads-across-gaza-our-colleagues-and-those-we-serve-are-wasting-away http://www.warchild.net/news/in-gaza-starvation-doesnt-just-kill/   * IPC Child Acute Malnutrition Classification latest: http://tinyurl.com/4n25jjbz Visit the related web page
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