Project report
Integrating emergency nutrition into UNRWA's humanitarian response in Gaza.
Haya Alkhammash, Sanaa Al Najjar, Amro Tabaza, Masako Horino, Jiaxin Chen et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001During the October 2023 conflict in Gaza, UNRWA implemented emergency nutrition services in partnership with UNICEF and other organisations to address severe food insecurity and malnutrition risks. The agency distributed food parcels to over 1.15 million people, screened nearly 88,000 children for malnutrition using MUAC measurement, and trained staff to deliver nutrition interventions. Despite major infrastructure damage and operational challenges, coordinated efforts helped prevent the worst outcomes for vulnerable children.
Key points
- UNRWA distributed food parcels to nearly 1.15 million people between January and September 2024
- 87,551 MUAC screenings were conducted for children aged 6-59 months, identifying 6,398 cases of malnutrition
- 110 physicians, nurses and midwives were trained to provide nutrition services
- Food parcels were modified to meet nutrition needs within the conflict context
- Coordination with partners was essential to maintain services despite infrastructure damage and resource constraints
Limitations
The document reports outputs and activities but provides limited detail on treatment outcomes for referred malnourished children or longer-term nutritional status changes. It does not include a comparison group or assess what would have happened without the intervention.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The October 2023 war in Gaza triggered a humanitarian crisis. It disrupted access to food and nutrition services, thus worsening food insecurity and increasing malnutrition risks. AIM: To document the experience of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in providing emergency nutrition services in Gaza during the conflict. METHODS: Through partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund and other partners, UNRWA tracked emergency nutrition interventions in Gaza, including piloting and scaling middle upper arm circumference (MUAC) screening for under-5 children, capacity building for staff providing nutrition services and modifying food parcels to meet nutrition needs within the context of the war. RESULTS: Between January and September 2024, UNRWA distributed food parcels to nearly 1.15 million people in Gaza, conducted 87 551 MUAC screenings for children aged 6-59 months and referred 6398 malnourished cases (MUAC < 12.5 cm) for treatment. UNRWA trained 110 physicians, nurses and midwives to provide nutrition interventions. CONCLUSION: Coordination with other partners enabled UNRWA to provide emergency nutrition services during the conflict in Gaza despite the infrastructure damage, resource constraints and operational disruptions. Sustained, flexible and well-coordinated nutrition interventions are needed in Gaza and similar conflict zones to prevent severe acute malnutrition, impaired child growth and development, and child mortality.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
Problem
Severe food insecurity and malnutrition risk in children under 5 during armed conflict in Gaza
- Intervention
- Emergency nutrition services including MUAC screening, food parcel distribution, and staff training
- Population
- Children aged 6-59 months and food-insecure populations in Gaza during October 2023 conflict
Key finding
6,398 malnourished children (MUAC < 12.5 cm) were identified and referred for treatment