A doctor's story of hunger in Gaza

I’m Doctor Jamal Imam*, a Palestinian nutrition specialist working for Save the Children in Gaza – providing care to children suffering from hunger and malnutrition. 

I need to tell you about Amjad*.  A little boy not even one year old who was suffering from severe acute malnutrition. Severe acute malnutrition is when your muscles begin to waste away, your vision blurs, your immune system becomes dangerously weak and eventually your organs shut down. Without treatment, it can cause death. He weighed less than six kilograms when I met him. His father was missing in the north of Gaza. His mother was alone in the south, living in a tent with almost nothing. She had no food to offer her child – not even a drop of breastmilk as hunger, exhaustion and constant fear had left her unable to produce any. 

On top of his hunger, Amjad was also battling skin infections. Not a single pharmacy in the entire Gaza Strip had the cream needed to treat his skin condition. You can’t imagine the amount of work, effort, phone calls, and attempts that were made to secure even the bare minimum to treat Amjad. The number of people who came together to help, and the sheer magnitude of the effort needed to secure even the smallest amount of treatment, was immense. 

After weeks of struggle, we began to see some improvements. Amjad moved from severe, critical malnutrition to a more moderate state. This may not seem like a significant success. It’s true, Amjad isn’t out of harm’s way yet. This is a single step towards a long journey of recovery but there is hope and for now, Amjad will live to see another day. In Gaza, this alone, is a major success.

Each day brings new challenges, new losses and new battles for survival. The situation today has never been more desperate. I am witnessing countless agonizing cases – children I’m trying to save, and mothers who come to me hoping I can perform miracles to rescue their little ones. 

Nearly all 1.1 million children in Gaza are unable to get enough to eat because of nearly a year of Israeli bombardment and near-total siege. Children are dying because of malnutrition, dehydration and disease. These deaths are entirely preventable – but the ongoing violence and restrictions on delivering aid are making it harder and harder to survive. 

Previously healthy families are now just wasting away. We’re seeing huge increases in the number of children with diarrhoea, jaundice and respiratory conditions. And when these illnesses are combined with extreme hunger, they can kill a child in days.

I live every day gripped by the fear that today might be the day I lose a child I’ve been supporting, a colleague, or my own family member. Beyond being an aid worker, I am a father, a husband — a Palestinian who feels the same pain and fear as everyone else here. The relentless bombings, the loss of basic necessities, the displacement, and the erosion of security make it almost impossible to fulfil my responsibilities as a parent. I am also a doctor, relied upon by patients who are suffering under the same brutal conditions. How can I give the care that’s expected of me, save lives, and improve health when I’m constantly gripped by the fear of what tomorrow—or even the next hour—might bring?  

You might be wondering where the strength comes from that keeps me standing. The truth is, I don’t really know. That’s the honest answer. But I do know that this strength is not mine alone. The resilience of people in Gaza, especially children, inspires me deeply. They refuse to lose their will to live, clinging to a love for life that defies all odds.

I’m also inspired by the support of people like you who are helping to provide a lifeline to these children when they need it most. With your support, we can help bring more children, like Amjad, back from the brink.

Every day we’re working around the clock to screen and treat children for malnutrition and other related illnesses at health centres and in communities. We’re distributing food parcels and cash for families to buy food. We’re supporting new mothers to breastfeed and providing counselling to parents on how to support young children’s nutrition in times of crisis like this. We’re calling for a ceasefire as the only way to truly protect children’s lives, and demanding the Israeli government fulfil their legal obligation to allow and facilitate the delivery of aid. None of this work would be possible without your support.

Malnutrition is treatable and preventable and low-cost interventions can save children’s lives.  Every contribution, no matter how small, will have a profound impact on the lives of children and families in Gaza. It will also help us be there for children facing life-threatening hunger in countless other countries around the world today.