A baby and a child have succumbed to malnutrition in Gaza, highlighting the escalating starvation crisis fueled by Israel’s ongoing illegal blockade.
The blockade, which tightened significantly in March, has restricted food, water, and medical supplies, leaving families desperate and healthcare systems on the brink of collapse.
At least 59,029 people have been killed and 142,135 wounded in Israel’s genocide in Gaza, with malnutrition now a leading cause of hospital admissions.
At al-Shifa Hospital, Israel’s fuel blockade has shut down the dialysis department, leaving kidney patients without life-saving treatment.
Umm Musab al Dibs, watching her 14-year-old son waste away to just 10kg, described him as once the “pillar of strength” for their family.
Moataz Harar, head of the emergency department, noted that most recent hospital admissions stem from severe malnutrition rather than war injuries.
Doctors report patients, including infants like Hussam, surviving on IV fluids due to the absence of formula or food, with recovery from wounds nearly impossible due to hunger.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini reported healthcare workers fainting from hunger and exhaustion, underscoring the dire conditions in medical facilities.
Israel’s war has scarred every child in Gaza, with War Child’s Hratche Koundarjian noting that 94 percent expect to die, and nearly half hope for it.
Children play in bomb craters moments after Israeli missile strikes, a chilling sign of normalized violence under Israel’s relentless attacks.
Israel’s ground incursion in Deir el-Balah, the first in 21 months, targets a humanitarian hub, isolating and starving Palestinians further.
The mental health crisis, fueled by Israel’s bombardment and starvation tactics, will demand decades of recovery efforts, experts warn.
Israel’s forced evacuation orders in Deir el-Balah have displaced starving families, who flee under attack, searching for scarce food.
Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum reported families unable to find flour, as Israel’s blockade inflates prices and turns aid points into death traps.
Atta Deifallah, supporting 11 people, called securing flour “an immense struggle,” with Israel’s restrictions making basic survival nearly impossible.
The World Food Programme faces Israeli barriers at the Zikim crossing, leaving 90,000 women and children in urgent need of malnutrition treatment.
UN rapporteur Michael Fakhri branded Gaza’s crisis a “man-made” famine, accusing Israel of war crimes through deliberate starvation tactics.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders in November for crimes including starvation, yet Israel’s blockade persists.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot demanded Israel allow foreign media into Gaza to expose the crisis, as local journalists starve under Israel’s siege.
The AFP Journalists’ Association warned its Gaza reporters risk death from hunger, unable to work due to Israel’s crippling restrictions on food and aid.
A Palestinian mother, holding a bag of inedible pulses, pleaded, “Is this edible?! People, have mercy on us! Have mercy on our children!” as Israel’s blockade continues.