Jared Kushner said Gaza now has "one of the lowest malnutrition rates in the world," crediting the Trump administration's expansion of humanitarian assistance after the October 2025 ceasefire. United Nations data supports a sharp decline in acute child malnutrition in accessible parts of Gaza, but presents a more complicated picture in which widespread food insecurity, poor diets and chronic malnutrition persist.
Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a White House peace envoy, made the remarks during a visit to Kyiv alongside U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Jerusalem News Syndicate reported that Kushner said the administration had "flooded" Gaza with aid after the ceasefire and pointed to the territory's current malnutrition figures as evidence of progress.
Recent UNICEF data confirms a substantial improvement in one closely watched measure. A population-based SMART survey conducted from May 31 through June 15 found acute malnutrition among children under five in accessible areas of Gaza was relatively low.
The same survey, however, documented broader nutritional problems that aren't captured by the acute-malnutrition figure. Chronic malnutrition, or stunting, affected 12.2% of children under five, while only 22.4% of children between six and 23 months received what UNICEF defines as a minimum acceptable diet. Some 73% of children in that age group had consumed unhealthy foods during the previous day.
UNICEF also cautioned against using the survey to make broad international comparisons. The research covered accessible areas of Gaza rather than the entire population, and the agency said its findings aren't a nationally representative statistic designed for comparisons with other countries.
That limitation is significant because Kushner's description appears to focus on Gaza's improved acute-malnutrition indicator rather than the territory's overall food-security situation. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, found that more than 1.2 million people-59% of Gaza's population-faced Crisis-level food insecurity or worse between mid-April and June 30.
The IPC expects conditions to deteriorate during the second half of the year. More than 1.4 million people, or 67% of the population, are projected to experience Crisis conditions or worse between July and December, including about 212,000 people expected to remain in the more severe Emergency category.
Those numbers coexist with clear evidence that the humanitarian expansion after the ceasefire produced substantial gains. In May, food parcels reached roughly 1.5 million people, multipurpose cash assistance reached about 700,000, and nutrition support covered 60% of children under five. In September 2025, by comparison, about 500,000 people received some form of food assistance and nutrition coverage among children under five was below 1%.
UN agencies have therefore attributed the improvement in acute malnutrition and food security in part to the increased flow of humanitarian and commercial supplies. Before the October ceasefire, severe access restrictions had sharply disrupted preventive nutrition programs, according to UNICEF.
The agencies nevertheless describe the recovery as vulnerable. Food rations remain inadequate in quantity, quality and dietary diversity, while supplies of fresh produce and protein-rich foods remain inconsistent. The IPC has warned that reductions in assistance could cause conditions to deteriorate rapidly because livelihoods have collapsed and many households have exhausted their traditional coping mechanisms.
Kushner's comments came as the Trump administration continues working on the next phase of its Gaza strategy. He said Washington and Israel agree on the territory's intended "end state," while acknowledging that Israel's approaching election complicates the political timetable.
Demilitarization remains a central part of that strategy. Kushner has said reconstruction can't fully proceed without Hamas relinquishing its weapons, while also acknowledging that implementing demilitarization will be difficult. Following an Aug. 17 meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Kushner said the administration hoped progress toward disarmament could begin within roughly 30 days.
