U.N. officials say many people in Gaza are experiencing 'famine-like conditions.' Health experts who have studied past famines warn that the fallout can reverberate across generations.
The people of Gaza are experiencing a dire hunger crisis — and the consequences could reverberate across generations., and a quarter of the population is experiencing"famine-like conditions," Ross Smith, the director of emergency preparedness and response at the U.
N. World Food Programme, told reporters last week.for 10 hours each day in some parts of Gaza to allow more food and medical aid into the areas. According to Smith, nearly 100,000 women and children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition. This month, Doctors Without Borders saidChronic hunger takes a toll on the body and mind, even long after recovery, several health experts agree. It's especially dangerous to children and fetuses developing in the womb, according to the The damage can run as deep as altering how genes function — meaning starvation may not just affect survivors but also their descendants, according to Marko Kerac, a clinical associate professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine who studies the long-term effects of malnutrition. Widespread hunger has been a concern in Gaza since the early days of the Israel-Hamas war, which began in October 2023.deliveries of food and medical supplies into Gaza in an attempt to pressure Hamas to accept an extension of the ceasefire deal. Around that same time, Israelin May. But since then, much of the aid delivery has been led by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation , which was established this year in response to Israel's concerns that Hamas was stealing and selling food from other aid groups. Gaza previously had 400 aid distribution points managed under a U.N.-coordinated system. Now that number has been cut down to four, all run by GHF, Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, an emergency coordinator with Doctors Without Borders in Gaza, toldThe series of events has led to rampant hunger in Gaza. As of Sunday, at least 133 people have died due to starvation since the start of the war, with over half the deaths having taken place this summer, Gaza's Ministry of Healthbreaking down its carbohydrates, fat stores and the protein from muscles to keep the entire body functioning. Children are especially vulnerable because they have smaller bodies and less fat to rely on.The earlier the malnutrition occurs, the greater the health risks, Kerac said. " It's a bit like having a motor of a small car in a big truck," he added."If it's pulling a lot more than its weight, it's gonna burn out a lot quicker." In Gaza, children's development is also disrupted by exposure to violence, lack of education and forced displacement, according to Zane Swanson, deputy director of the Global Food and Water Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank based in Washington, D.C. "A vicious cycle develops where conditions of poverty and food insecurity increase rates of malnutrition, which hampers community development and economic potential, which in turn increases the risk of malnutrition and insecurity for that community," he said.Malnutrition can also harm fetuses still developing in the womb, according to health experts. A famous example comes from the Dutch Hunger Winter — a severe famine that hit the Netherlands near the end of World War II. Decades later, researchersOn top of that, research showed that the survivors' grandchildren were also likely to have poor health outcomes, even though they were not directly exposed to the famine themselves. "We inherit the memory of trauma on a molecular basis," said Hasan Khatib, a professor of genetics and epigenetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Epigenetics is the study of how environmental and behavioral factors can influence how our genes are expressed. While extreme hunger — and trauma more broadly — do not alter the DNA sequence itself, they can leave small tags on DNA, affecting how genes are turned on or off, and those epigenetic changes can be passed down to descendants, according to Khatib. The studies on the Dutch Hunger Winter had some limitations, including to what degree factors such as socioeconomic status and preexisting conditions affected outcomes. Researchers today are still working to fully understand the mechanisms behind changes in gene expression and their full impact.Recovery is possible, but it depends on swift action and consistent care, health experts say Although children exposed to severe malnutrition face the risk of lifelong health challenges, there are ways to improve their long-term health outcomes, according to Kerac of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. One is early intervention." We want to try and make sure that the periods of undernutrition are as short as possible," he said. High-quality and consistent care are also crucial." Recovering from malnutrition is not just about putting the weight back on. It's a far longer process, and it involves both physical, also mental healing," Kerac added. Khatib, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said epigenetic changes might be reversible but would depend on significant improvements in a person's environment and overall living conditions. " There is hope," he said."This is the message as an epigeneticist would like to convey to people — that epigenetics is not really our destiny."Juliana Kim is a weekend reporter for Digital News, where she adds context to the news of the day and brings her enterprise skills to NPR's signature journalism.His name is Mohammad Al-Motawaq. He is 18 months old. And he is starving in Gaza KPBS keeps you informed with local stories you need to know about — with no paywall. Our news is free for everyone because people like you help fund it.Arts & Culture
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