Malnutrition and starvation rates in Gaza have reached “catastrophic” levels, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, despite a United States-brokered “ceasefire” that aims in part to allow more food and medical supplies to enter the Strip as Palestinians face famine.

At least 466 Palestinians have died of malnutrition and starvation since 2024, with children accounting for one-third of the deaths, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Friday, in a statement released for World Food Day.

Elderly Palestinians accounted for the largest share of malnutrition-related deaths in the Strip, with 189 deaths, representing 40.5 percent of the total. The ministry said 11 percent of older people went without a meal for an entire day and 48 percent reduced portions so their families could eat.

The ministry estimated that 74,200 children would require treatment for acute malnutrition through April 2027.