Why are Gaza’s babies in urgent need of emergency formula milk?

Gaza is experiencing a catastrophic infant nutrition emergency — not a food shortage in the ordinary sense, but a complete collapse of the systems that keep babies alive.

Mothers are mixing tahini with water in hopes of feeding four-month-old infants. Medical professionals on the ground have reported thousands of children being starved because there is no baby milk for Gaza children under the age of two. (Source: Al Jazeera)

There are three overlapping reasons why Gaza’s infants face this crisis simultaneously:

Maternal malnutrition has made breastfeeding impossible for many. More than four in ten pregnant and breastfeeding women seeking treatment at clinics in Gaza in July 2025 were malnourished — almost three times as many as in March. Some breastfeeding mothers, feeling desperate and scared of dying, have asked for infant formula to protect their infants if they are orphaned. When a mother is severely malnourished, her body cannot produce adequate breast milk. Formula is not a preference in these cases — it is the only way her baby survives. (Source: Save the Children)

The blockade has eliminated commercial supply. Under normal conditions, families could purchase formula from markets and pharmacies. The near-complete blockade of commercial goods into Gaza has eliminated that option entirely. What little formula does exist inside Gaza is priced beyond reach for families who have already lost their livelihoods, homes, and savings to conflict.

Low birth weight is surging, creating additional nutritional vulnerability. In the first half of 2025, 10 per cent of all births in Gaza — approximately 300 babies per month — were low birth weight, surging to 460 per month in the three months before the ceasefire. Low birthweight infants are about 20 times more likely to die than infants of normal weight. These smallest, most fragile babies require the most reliable nutrition — and are getting the least.

The result is a situation that humanitarian professionals describe as one of the most severe infant nutrition emergencies ever documented: 5,119 children between six months and five years of age were admitted for acute malnutrition treatment in May 2025 alone — a 148 per cent increase in three months.

Your baby milk for Gaza donation is direct, immediate, and life-saving.

How does Your Impact Foundation distribute baby milk in Gaza?

Your Impact Foundation distributes powdered infant formula through our established trusted local partner network inside Gaza. Every aspect of our distribution is managed with the safety of the infant as the primary consideration.

Sourcing — locally procured, commercially sealed:

Baby milk is sourced locally through our approved humanitarian delivery arrangements within Gaza, based on availability and identified beneficiary need. All products are commercially manufactured, sealed baby milk products — not repacked, altered, or manufactured by our charity or delivery team. Every tin arrives in its original, factory-sealed packaging.

Quality assurance before distribution:

Before any tin reaches a family, our partners conduct a pre-distribution check. Every product is confirmed to be in its original sealed packaging, within its stated expiry date, and showing no signs of damage, contamination, or deterioration. Where manufacturer certificates, supplier documentation, or regulatory approvals are available, these are retained in the project’s due-diligence records.

Storage and transportation with infant safety in mind:

Baby milk is kept in its original, unopened sealed packaging throughout procurement, transportation, and distribution. Appropriate precautions are taken to protect products from excessive heat, moisture, direct sunlight, contamination, and physical damage — all of which can compromise both the packaging and the formula inside.

Safe preparation guidance provided with every distribution:

Powdered infant formula is not a sterile product and requires safe water and appropriate hygiene when being prepared. Every family receiving powdered formula is provided with preparation guidance in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, including the correct powder-to-water ratio and hygiene requirements. Given the humanitarian conditions in Gaza, access to safe water is treated as a critical part of the distribution protocol — not an afterthought.

Targeted distribution to the most vulnerable:

Formula is distributed specifically to infants and young children from birth to 36 months in cases where adequate nutrition cannot otherwise be assured — including infants of severely malnourished mothers who are unable to produce sufficient breast milk, orphaned infants without a caregiver, premature and low birth weight babies with heightened nutritional vulnerability, and young children experiencing acute malnutrition requiring nutritional rehabilitation.

What does your donation provide?

Every pound you donate goes directly to the procurement and distribution of baby milk for infants in Gaza. Here is what different amounts deliver:

These figures are based on humanitarian procurement costs within the Gaza context. Prices reflect locally sourced commercial formula distributed through our trusted partner network.

What makes this appeal different — and why does it matter?

There are many organisations responding to the Gaza crisis. Here is what makes Your Impact Foundation’s baby milk appeal specifically significant:

We are already there. Your Impact Foundation is not launching a new programme in response to fundraising — we are scaling what is already operational. Our trusted local partners are already distributing baby milk inside Gaza, and your donation goes directly to increasing the volume of that distribution.

We use commercially sealed products only. Every tin of formula we distribute is factory-sealed, commercially manufactured, within its expiry date, and in its original packaging. We do not repack, mix, or alter products in any way. This is a non-negotiable standard given the vulnerability of the infants receiving it.

We provide preparation guidance at the point of distribution. Powdered formula requires safe water and correct preparation. In Gaza’s conditions, this guidance is essential. Every distribution includes preparation instructions, and our partners prioritise access to safe water wherever formula is being distributed.

We are a verified UK charity. Your Impact Foundation is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (Charity No. 1192710). Your donation is legally protected, transparently accounted for, and directed to verified beneficiaries through an established partner network.

Gift Aid eligible. If you are a UK taxpayer, your donation can be boosted by 25% at no cost to you through Gift Aid — meaning £10 becomes £12.50 of baby milk for a Gaza infant.

Who are the babies this appeal reaches?

Gaza’s infant population faces an unprecedented convergence of threats. Understanding who this appeal reaches makes the human reality of every donation concrete.

Newborns and premature babies. In Gaza’s neonatal intensive care units, newborns weighing less than 1 kilogram are struggling to survive. For premature infants, adequate nutrition in the first weeks of life determines survival. When breast milk is unavailable and formula cannot be sourced, these babies have no viable alternative.

Infants of malnourished mothers. A mother who is severely malnourished cannot produce adequate breast milk regardless of her intention or effort. For her infant, formula distributed through our appeal is the only safe nutritional option available.

Orphaned infants. The IPC warned “the worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out” in Gaza, in a context where thousands of children have lost parents to conflict. Orphaned infants without breastfeeding caregivers require formula as their primary nutrition source. This appeal connects directly with our orphan sponsorship programme in Gaza — many of the children receiving baby milk through this distribution are the same children whose monthly care your sponsorship funds.

Toddlers in nutritional rehabilitation. Children between 12 and 36 months experiencing acute malnutrition require consistent, reliable nutritional support as part of their recovery. Formula provides essential macronutrients and micronutrients that are unavailable from the severely depleted local food supply.

How does the baby milk appeal connect to our other Gaza programmes?

Baby milk for Gaza does not exist in isolation. It is one part of Your Impact Foundation’s integrated emergency response in Gaza — and a donation to this appeal compounds with our other active programmes.

The infant who receives formula milk through this appeal today may be the same child who receives emergency food support through our Gaza famine emergency appeal as they grow. The malnourished mother whose inability to breastfeed triggers a formula distribution is also a beneficiary of our food aid programme, which provides emergency food packs and community kitchen meals to families across Gaza.

And the orphaned baby receiving formula through this distribution is connected to our orphan sponsorship programme — a monthly commitment that funds food, shelter, healthcare, and education for a named child in Gaza from the moment they lose a parent.

If you are moved by this appeal, consider how these programmes work together. A one-off donation to baby milk feeds one infant today. A monthly orphan sponsorship feeds, shelters, and educates one child for years.

Frequently asked questions

What is the baby milk appeal — and what does it fund?

Your Impact Foundation’s baby milk appeal funds the procurement and distribution of commercially manufactured, sealed powdered infant formula to infants and young children aged 0–36 months in Gaza who cannot receive adequate nutrition through other means. Every tin distributed is factory-sealed, within its expiry date, and accompanied by safe preparation guidance.

Why do Gaza’s babies need formula milk if breastfeeding is recommended?

Breastfeeding is always the recommended and preferred option for infant nutrition. However, in Gaza’s current conditions, many mothers are too severely malnourished to produce sufficient breast milk. Orphaned infants have no breastfeeding caregiver. Premature and low birth weight babies may require supplementary feeding. In these specific circumstances — documented and verified by humanitarian health professionals — infant formula is the only safe nutritional alternative available.

How do you ensure the baby milk is safe for infants?

All formula distributed through this appeal is commercially manufactured, factory-sealed, within its stated expiry date, and checked for damage or contamination before distribution. Products are stored and transported away from excessive heat, moisture, and direct sunlight. Every family receiving powdered formula is provided with preparation guidance in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, including hygiene requirements and the correct water ratio.

Is powdered infant formula safe in Gaza’s conditions?

Powdered infant formula requires safe water and appropriate hygiene for preparation. Your Impact Foundation’s distribution protocol addresses this directly — preparation guidance is provided with every distribution, and our trusted local partners prioritise access to safe water at distribution points. Ready-to-use formula, which requires no water preparation, is used wherever it is available and where powdered formula poses additional risk.

Is my donation to this appeal Zakat-eligible?

Yes. The infants and families receiving baby milk through this distribution are overwhelmingly among the Fuqara (the poor) and Masakeen (the needy) — the primary categories eligible for Zakat under Surah At-Tawbah (9:60). Your Impact Foundation distributes Zakat in full Shariah compliance with 100% reaching eligible recipients.

Can I donate in memory of someone, or as Sadaqah Jariyah?

Yes. A donation to this appeal can be made as Sadaqah on behalf of a living person or in memory of someone who has passed. While baby milk itself is a consumable rather than an ongoing project, a donation that sustains an infant’s life — allowing them to grow and thrive — carries the potential for ongoing spiritual reward. You can also pair this donation with our orphan sponsorship programme, which is an established form of Sadaqah Jariyah.

How quickly does my donation reach babies in Gaza?

Your donation is directed immediately to our trusted local partner network, which is already operational inside Gaza. Baby milk procurement and distribution is ongoing — your donation scales what is already in motion rather than initiating a new programme. We aim to have donations reflected in active distributions within the shortest operationally possible timeframe given the access conditions inside Gaza.

How can I find out more about your Gaza response overall?

Visit our Gaza famine emergency appeal for a comprehensive overview of all our active programmes in Gaza, or our food aid page for our broader global emergency food response. To support an orphaned child in Gaza with a monthly commitment, visit our Gaza orphan sponsorship programme.