Infants and young children in Gaza are still experiencing the lingering effects of a widespread famine that occurred between August and December 2025, with a new food emergency now emerging and raising fears of a recurrence. Many families, like Sahar al-Bardini's, are struggling to provide adequate nutrition for their children, even as food becomes more accessible than during the peak of the crisis.

Sahar al-Bardini, a 35-year-old mother of three in the al-Zawaida camp in central Gaza, prepares breakfast for her children, aged six, four, and three. Despite ensuring they eat, her primary concern remains securing their next meal. Her husband was killed three years ago, leaving her as the sole provider for her family.

Like numerous families in Gaza, they face escalating food prices, a situation exacerbated by Israel's ongoing blockade. The availability of essential items like eggs and vegetables was severely limited during the 2025 famine, and when found, they were prohibitively expensive. Even now, the family can only afford one meal per day.

Omar and Sama, Sahar's older children, bore the brunt of the famine, experiencing significant weakness and weight loss. According to Sahar, it took approximately six months for them to recover their health and weight after food became more available. Her paramount fear is that her children will weaken again, and she struggles daily to provide the varied diet necessary for their well-being and growth.

This ongoing struggle for sustenance coincides with a warning from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). OCHA reported last week that Gaza is facing a severe food emergency, with the potential to escalate into another famine. Justin Brady, head of OCHA in Palestine, highlighted that 67 percent of Gaza's population is experiencing food insecurity.

Furthermore, over 200,000 individuals, representing about 10 percent of Gaza's population, are living in conditions that typically signal an impending famine, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. In areas like Sahar's, community kitchens have become a critical food source for many families.

While these kitchens provide meals primarily consisting of rice and basic ingredients, often lacking meat, they are sufficient to prevent starvation. However, the meals are insufficient in providing children with the essential nutrients and protein crucial for their development and recovery. Sahar notes that these meals fill their stomachs but do not offer the complete nourishment a growing child requires.

Sahar's limited resources mean she tries to supplement the community meals with whatever food she can procure, but the high cost of nutritious items like eggs, vegetables, fruit, and meat makes it a daily challenge to provide a balanced diet for her children. The situation underscores the deep-seated impact of the previous famine and the precarious food security facing Gaza's vulnerable population.