Gaza: 21 Children Starved To Death In Three Days, Say Medics
At least 21 children have reportedly died from malnutrition and starvation in the Gaza Strip within the past three days, according to medical personnel, as the humanitarian crisis worsens amid Israel’s ongoing military offensive.
Dr Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, told the BBC that the deaths occurred within 72 hours, warning that approximately 900,000 children across Gaza are currently suffering from hunger, with 70,000 of them already in a state of severe malnutrition.
Abu Salmiya described the situation as catastrophic and said the number of preventable deaths is expected to rise, particularly among patients suffering from chronic illnesses such as diabetes and kidney disease, whose access to food and medicine has been cut off.
In a separate update, the Hamas-run health ministry said an additional 15 people had died from hunger-related causes in the past 24 hours alone, bringing the total number of confirmed starvation deaths in the enclave to 101.
Out of that number, at least 80 are children.
Journalists in Gaza are also raising alarm over their survival as the humanitarian situation worsens.
The journalists’ association of Agence France-Presse (AFP) released a letter warning that its remaining freelancers in Gaza are starving.
The letter described how local reporters, who have been risking their lives daily to cover the war, are now living in “absolute destitution,” with little or no access to food, water, or shelter.
AFP management confirmed the deteriorating conditions and said that while its full-time staff and their families were evacuated earlier this year, efforts to evacuate freelance journalists have been obstructed by the ongoing blockade.
The agency called on Israeli authorities to permit the safe evacuation of its remaining contributors from Gaza.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has issued fresh warnings, saying the remaining humanitarian lifelines in Gaza are “collapsing.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, through a spokesperson, said the territory’s aid network is being “impeded, undermined, and endangered” and that food, medicine, water, and fuel are no longer reaching those in need at a sustainable pace.
UN agencies operating in central Gaza have reported direct attacks on staff facilities, including two guesthouses in Deir al-Balah, despite clear communication with all parties regarding their locations.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the BBC he was “sickened” by the scenes coming out of Gaza and joined 27 other nations in condemning the killing of hundreds of civilians who had gathered around aid trucks in hopes of receiving food.
Despite mounting evidence and reports from health workers, Israel and the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) have disputed death tolls released by Gaza’s health authorities.
However, the ministry’s figures are widely regarded as credible, given they are based on bodies received by local hospitals.
Medical teams in Gaza City say one person was killed and 118 injured on Tuesday alone near Nabulsi Junction, where civilians were waiting for food.
Similar incidents reportedly occurred across the territory in recent days, with dozens killed in stampedes, airstrikes, or gunfire near aid distribution points.
Gaza: 21 Children Starved To Death In Three Days, Say Medics is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
