Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has accused Israel of deliberately restricting food and humanitarian aid into Gaza, claiming it has led to a “manufactured malnutrition crisis” with severe consequences for infants, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.
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In a report released on Thursday, the medical charity said its findings were based on data collected between late 2024 and early 2026 from four health facilities it supports in Gaza. It linked worsening maternal and infant health conditions to restricted access to essential supplies, ongoing displacement and damage to healthcare infrastructure.
Here is how Israel deliberately restricted food and aid in Gaza, creating a “manufactured malnutrition crisis” with devastating impacts on mothers and babies 👇 https://t.co/a0u9xYLQ4h
— TRT World (@trtworld) May 7, 2026
MSF said its analysis showed significantly higher rates of premature births and infant deaths among babies born to malnourished mothers. It reported that 90% of babies born to affected mothers were premature, while 84% had low birth weight. Neonatal mortality, it added, was reportedly twice as high compared to infants born to well-nourished mothers.
The organisation said more than half of the pregnant women studied had experienced malnutrition during pregnancy, with a quarter still malnourished at the time of delivery. It also reported high levels of miscarriages and developmental risks among infants under treatment.
MSF stated that malnutrition among young children and mothers had sharply increased since the escalation of conflict, with thousands of cases recorded in treatment programmes across Gaza. It said conditions were previously rare in the territory before the outbreak of war.
The report also criticised the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israeli-backed aid mechanism introduced last year to replace traditional UN-led aid distribution. MSF described the system as “militarised and deadly,” claiming that reduced distribution points worsened access to food and contributed to violence at aid sites.
The organisation called on Israeli authorities to allow immediate and unhindered entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, warning that the crisis remains “extremely fragile” despite a ceasefire in place since last October.
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MSF stressed that the worsening nutritional situation reflects the combined impact of restricted aid access and continued conflict-related disruptions to essential services.