The study provides systematic scientific documentation of a critical public health issue, contributing to global discourse on health in conflict-affected settings. It offers policymakers, health authorities, and humanitarian organizations evidence-based data to support the design of effective interventions aimed at protecting children and strengthening food and health security.

Titled “Starved Futures in the Gaza Strip: Long-Term Outcomes of Childhood Malnutrition as a Humanitarian Emergency,” the study was published in the international journal BMJ Global Health, ranked in the first quartile (Q1) in its field, with an impact factor of 6.1 and placement in the 97th percentile globally—reflecting the journal’s high standing and the scientific quality of the research.

The study was conducted by scholarship student Maha Rabayaa, specializing in Physiology at Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University in Turkey, in collaboration with Duha Rabaia from the Radiotherapy Department at An-Najah National University Hospital. This work was carried out within a research partnership that reflects An-Najah National University’s active role in health research with humanitarian and community impact.

This achievement underscores the University’s commitment to supporting its scholarship students and enabling them to produce high-quality research that addresses pressing Palestinian societal challenges while contributing to global knowledge in public health and humanitarian medicine.