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The bulletin summarises the nutrition cluster response for the Period January - December 2024. It highlights the sharp deterioration in Gaza's nutrition situation due to 15 months of conflict, widespread displacements, and restricted access to food and essential services.
Key points include:
Acute Malnutrition Surge: Pre-conflict malnutrition rates were minimal; however, by early 2024, Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) surged, particularly in the northern governorates, severely affecting children under two years of age. Although rates stabilized mid-year, subsequent displacements triggered a rise in acute malnutrition. Maternal malnutrition rates also increased, affecting 15–20% of pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW). The worsening food security, WASH, and health environments further elevated the risk of acute malnutrition among vulnerable populations.
The Nutrition Response: Despite significant funding gaps - only 31% of the Nutrition Cluster Plan for Gaza was funded - 22 partners provided services across 120 CMAM sites.
- Prevention: All the children 6-59 months and PBW were targeted monthly with blanket supplementary foods. However, access issues restricted coverage to 33% of women and 48% of children at peak times, though coverage improved only in late 2024. Nutrition education, counselling, and breastfeeding support reached 48% of caregivers with children under two by the year’s end, up from 29% in the first half. Vitamin A supplements were provided to 172,972 children aged 24–59 months between October and November through joint polio and vitamin A campaign.
- Early detection and treatment: Screening coverage increased significantly in the 4th quarter leading to an average of 5,000 children being enrolled for acute malnutrition management programme per month. In total, 40,068 children (80% of the cluster target) were enrolled in malnutrition management from Jan to Dec 2024. On these, 73.4% recovered, 25.8% defaulted, 0.12% died, and 0.6% were non-recovered.
- Coordination Efforts: The nutrition response benefitted from timely establishment of the nutrition cluster in November 2023 which brought together nutrition partners for a coordinated response. The technical working groups played a key role in monitoring malnutrition trends, producing vulnerability assessment reports, supporting IPC analyses, promoting infant and young child feeding practices and drafting CMAM management guidelines and protocols for use in the emergency. Cross-sectoral contributions from the Food security, WASH and health clusters also helped in preventing malnutrition through addressing the underlying and immediate causes of acute malnutrition.