Israel’s ongoing restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza have led to a catastrophic rise in starvation-related deaths, with 100 children among the 217 fatalities reported since the onset of the conflict.
The deliberate throttling of aid trucks, averaging just 86 per day over the past two weeks against a required 600, has exacerbated a dire crisis.
Aid agencies warn that the limited supplies permitted by Israel are insufficient to prevent a looming famine, with malnutrition cases surging exponentially.
The blockade’s impact is stark, as hospitals struggle with mass casualties from both starvation and relentless Israeli attacks.
The Government Media Office in Gaza reports that only 1,210 aid trucks entered the territory over the last 14 days, a mere 14 percent of the 8,400 needed to meet basic requirements.
This shortfall, coupled with looting amid Israel’s systematic policy of engineering starvation and chaos, has left families desperate.
Newborns suffer severe malnutrition as mothers, weakened by hunger, cannot produce milk.
Older individuals are increasingly succumbing to starvation, with five additional deaths reported recently.
Aid groups emphasize that sustained, not sporadic, support is critical to reverse the generational damage caused by prolonged deprivation.
The toll on Gaza’s children is particularly harrowing, with 100 now dead from starvation in what Save the Children calls “a moral scar on our shared humanity.”
The charity’s regional director, Ahmad Alhendawi, condemned the deaths as “wholly predictable and avoidable,” accusing Israeli authorities of using starvation as a method of warfare — a war crime under international law.
Hospitals are overwhelmed, with paramedics like Sam Sears, a British volunteer, describing a “conveyor belt of carnage” as they place children in body bags.
The blockade’s chokehold on aid continues to shatter lives, leaving entire families dead and survivors with life-altering injuries.
Israel’s military campaign has killed at least 61,430 Palestinians, with 153,213 wounded, including 304 aid seekers in the latest 24-hour period.
The international community’s failure to enforce legal obligations allowing aid access has drawn sharp criticism.
Alhendawi stressed that the world’s inaction shames humanity, as food, water, and medical supplies remain stalled at border crossings.
With malnutrition’s effects poised to span generations, Gaza’s plight demands urgent action to halt Israel’s policies and avert further tragedy.