As World Breastfeeding Week begins, Save the Children and its partners in Gaza are diagnosing high rates of malnutrition in pregnant and breastfeeding women, with rates particularly bad in northern Gaza. Some mothers are resorting to feeding their children water mixed with ground chickpeas or tahini, while others are stopping breastfeeding earlier than they would prefer, due to difficulties and lack of support.
GAZA, 1 August 2026 – Palestinian mothers in Gaza are struggling to breastfeed their infants more than 10 months since the ‘ceasefire’ agreement was put in place amid Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid and commercial goods into Gaza, said Save the Children.
As World Breastfeeding Week begins, Save the Children and its partners in Gaza are diagnosing high rates of malnutrition in pregnant and breastfeeding women, with rates particularly bad in northern Gaza. Some mothers are resorting to feeding their children water mixed with ground chickpeas or tahini, while others are stopping breastfeeding earlier than they would prefer, due to difficulties and lack of support.
At least 13% of women with infants in Gaza suffer from breastfeeding-related difficulties, according to an April 2026 UN Report. Ongoing military activities, food insecurity, displacement, poor living conditions, limited food options, and limited access to healthcare are creating challenges for establishing and supporting breastfeeding.
UN data from July 2026 shows that of the nearly 29,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women screened for malnutrition, more than 20,000 – or two of three – require targeted supplementary feeding. Recent figures from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) - the leading hunger monitor – last month said that some 24,600 pregnant and breastfeeding women will require urgent nutrition support until April 2027.
Many of these challenges could be addressed through timely, skilled breastfeeding counselling and practical support, but access to trained providers remains severely limited across Gaza. At the same time, chronic funding shortfalls are forcing humanitarian organisations to scale back lifesaving nutrition, maternal health, breastfeeding support and cash assistance at a time when needs continue to grow, said Save the Children.
Marwa, 30, a mother of five children, who is currently breastfeeding her baby, said: “There are people who can buy this necessary stuff for infants, but my financial situation is difficult; I can’t afford it.
“I used to combine breastfeeding with formula feeding for my children, but now, with the guidance of Save the Children, I am exclusively breastfeeding my three-month-old infant. Save the Children has provided me with nutritional supplements every two weeks to support me in continuing to breastfeed my child.”
In emergency situations like Gaza, infants who are not breastfed face significantly higher risks of illness and dehydration, malnutrition, and death.
However, many breastfeeding women in Gaza are missing the diverse and nutrient-rich foods essential for their health and wellbeing while feeding their infants. Some report stopping breastfeeding due to concerns about insufficient breastmilk supply, recurrent displacement, and lack of privacy in overcrowded shelters and displacement sites.
Mervat, Gaza Health & Nutrition Technical Advisor at Save the Children in the occupied Palestinian territory, Said:
“Efforts to ensure equitable and sustainable breastfeeding support are often most severely undermined in fragile settings, where the need is greatest. Breastfeeding is one of the most important life-saving interventions for infants in these contexts, but mothers cannot overcome the barriers created by displacement, and humanitarian crises alone. They need timely, skilled breastfeeding support to protect their own health and to give their infants the best possible chance of survival.
“Breastfeeding remains one of the most effective life-saving interventions for infants in Gaza. Breast milk is an infant's food security. It provides safe nutrition, immune protection, and a reliable source of nourishment when access to food, clean water, health care, and essential supplies is disrupted. Protecting and supporting breastfeeding can mean the difference between life and death for the youngest and most vulnerable children.”
Ahmad Alhendawi, Save the Children’s Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, said:
"More than 10 months after the 'ceasefire' agreement, no mother should be struggling to feed her child because food, essential services and the support families need to survive remain out of reach. Israeli restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid and commercial goods, together with constraints on humanitarian organisations delivering assistance, continue to put the lives of pregnant and breastfeeding women and their children at risk.
“The Israeli authorities must immediately lift restrictions on the entry and delivery of humanitarian aid and commercial goods, fully open additional crossings into Gaza, including directly to the north, and ensure humanitarian organisations can deliver assistance safely, rapidly and without obstruction. Pregnant and breastfeeding women must have access to nutritious and diverse food, quality healthcare, clean water and sanitation, alongside the specialized nutrition support they need.
“At the same time, Member States and donors must urgently increase and sustain funding for humanitarian operations in Gaza to ensure lifesaving nutrition, health and breastfeeding support can reach every mother and child who needs it."
Save the Children has worked in the occupied Palestinian territory since 1953, with a permanent presence since 1973. We work with partners to provide healthcare and nutrition services, quality education, child protection, early childhood development support, cash assistance, and other essential humanitarian aid.
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