Action Against Hunger Sites for Malnutrition Treatment Under Threat Due to Displacement Orders, Military Incursions in Gaza City

• The organization has established over 13 Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition points across the Gaza Strip and has treated hundreds of children under the age of five suffering from acute and severe malnutrition.
• Military plans in northern Gaza aim to forcibly transfer nearly 1 million Palestinians living in Gaza City and North Gaza to areas in the middle and south of the Gaza Strip.
• Forcible transfer, when carried out as a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population, constitutes a grave violation of international law. Any evacuation must be temporary, civilians must be allowed to return to their homes as soon as hostilities have ceased, and adequate conditions of shelter, hygiene, safety, and nutrition must be ensured for the displaced population. 

The planned military incursion in Gaza City threatens devastating consequences for a population already weakened by hunger, loss, and repeated displacement. Families are met with an impossible choice: face permanent displacement with little to no prospect of return; or death, serious injury, illness, and starvation if they stay. Pushing hundreds of thousands of people further south under such conditions risks constituting forcible transfer, a grave violation of international law.

“What we are seeing in Gaza City is not just a crisis, it is a collapse of human survival,” said Natalia Anguera, Head of Operations for the Middle East at Action Against Hunger. “Families are hungry, exhausted, grieving, and can’t imagine having to move their children – some for the twenty-sixth time in less than two years. Despite our teams’ relentless efforts, they too are facing this same collapse.” 

The human cost of this incursion will be overwhelming. Action Against Hunger teams are not only once again facing displacement themselves but are also at risk of losing access to critical areas where water networks, food distributions, and nutrition services are currently active. Humanitarian organizations cannot be instrumentalized as a means of forcible transfer: Action Against Hunger is committed to following supporting communities wherever they are. At the same time, humanitarian operations cannot become a driver of displacement – forcibly moving services away from places like Gaza City risks creating conditions where people feel like they have no choice but to leave.

Action Against Hunger nutrition screenings and treatment for malnourished children and pregnant and lactating women could be interrupted in high-risk areas of malnutrition. The organization has established over 6 Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition points across Gaza City and has treated hundreds of children and infants suffering from acute and severe malnutrition, with three Mother and Baby Friendly Spaces. In July and August alone, Action Against Hunger nutrition teams received more than 400 cases of malnourished children, 20% of them severe.

Essential activities including water trucking and the rehabilitation of sanitation infrastructure are under threat due to ongoing bombardments, ground operations, and displacement orders. In Gaza City, water availability has dropped by 70%, driven by fuel shortages and infrastructure damage, forcing reliance on access to safe drinking water through water trucking, which should only be a temporary solution. Many families lack the means to collect or store the limited water delivered, and truck access may be disrupted by military activity. Without restoring Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure, communities remain at serious risk of starvation and disease. 

At least 86% of the Gaza Strip is already under displacement orders or in militarized zones. Both in areas under and not under displacement orders or military zones, damaged infrastructure and overcrowding makes access to water, food, shelter, and healthcare a serious challenge. “It is hard to imagine nearly one million people coming back to the South. I don't know how to showcase this. There is no shelter anymore. There are no tents, no tarps. People are making shelters out of nothing,” said an Action Against Hunger staff in Gaza.

Even in these alarming circumstances, “At Action Against Hunger we reaffirm once again our commitment to serve people wherever they are, and we will, for as long as we can, remain present in Gaza City to provide lifesaving support”, explained Natalia Anguera.

Action Against Hunger reiterates its call for a permanent ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and detainees, and full, large-scale, and sustained access for humanitarian actors. We also remind all parties to the conflict that any evacuation must be temporary and that families must be allowed to return to their homes when hostilities have ceased. All displaced populations must have safe and dignified access to shelter, water, food, and healthcare. 

“Forcible transfer constitutes a grave violation of international law. We urge all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and ensure safe access for humanitarian personnel and supplies,” added Natalia Anguera.