Overview
- UNICEF's Gaza SMART Survey, carried out in accessible areas between May 31 and June 15, 2026, measured global acute malnutrition at 0.5 percent by weight-for-height and concluded there was no widespread acute malnutrition at the population level.
- Those results contrast with an August 2025 IPC classification that identified famine in Gaza City and have prompted Israel's UN ambassador to demand explanations and an apology for last year's language.
- The survey covered only areas UNICEF could reach and did not include an estimated 17 percent of the population, and it was done after the October 2025 ceasefire and a large rise in aid deliveries which can rapidly lower acute wasting.
- UNICEF also reported persistent problems including about 12 percent stunting, poor diet diversity, high recent diarrhea rates, and maternal malnutrition, noting that stunting reflects long‑term damage that does not reverse quickly.
- Reporting that challenged earlier famine images has become politicized and dangerous for journalists, with Free Press reporter Olivia Reingold saying she received death threats after exposing fabricated pictures, a development that complicates public debate and accountability.