UN: Gaza Children Wasting Away Under Israeli Blockade
'People are starving,' said Carl Skau, deputy director of the World Food Programme, after a recent visit to Gaza City.
'This is the worst I've ever seen. A father I met had lost 25 kg in just two months. People are starving, while we have food just across the border.'
UNRWA called on Israel to lift its blockade immediately and allow unrestricted humanitarian access. The agency specifically condemned the Israeli army's continued targeting of civilians at militarized food distribution sites run by the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Since GHF's formation in late May, nearly 900 Palestinians have been killed trying to access food, according to Gaza's health ministry.
In central Gaza, civil defense spokesperson Mahmud Bassal reported a disturbing rise in infant deaths due to starvation. 'These heartbreaking cases were not caused by direct bombing but by starvation, the lack of baby formula, and the absence of basic healthcare,' he told AFP, confirming at least three such deaths in the past week alone.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) echoed these warnings, describing Gaza's hunger levels as 'catastrophic' and the situation as 'unconscionable.'
In a statement posted on X, the agency said civilians searching for food are being fired upon, while children are 'wasting away,' and some are dying before help can reach them.
'We are heading into the unknown,' said Dr. Mohammed Abu Afash, director of Medical Relief in Gaza. 'Malnutrition among children has reached its highest levels. Women and children are collapsing from hunger. The coming days could be catastrophic if food is not allowed in.'
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 71 children have died from malnutrition since the war began, with over 60,000 others now suffering from symptoms of acute hunger. On Sunday alone, 18 people died of starvation, including a disabled man who succumbed to prolonged hunger and lack of care.
In an overcrowded makeshift shelter in central Gaza, displaced father Ziad Musleh shared his anguish. 'We are dying, our children are dying, and we can't do anything to stop it,' he told AFP. 'Our children cry and scream for food. They go to sleep in pain, in hunger, with empty stomachs. There is absolutely no food.'
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reports a dire situation for pregnant women and newborns, with premature births and severe malnutrition rising dramatically. 'Many babies are being born prematurely due to widespread malnutrition among pregnant women,' said MSF doctor Joanne Perry.
'Wounds are not healing due to protein deficiency. Infections are lingering far longer than normal. This is a full-blown crisis.'
Despite limited aid arriving since late May, the supplies stockpiled during a six-week ceasefire earlier this year have been exhausted. The Israeli blockade has remained largely sealed, worsening what humanitarian agencies now call one of the most severe food crises of the 21st century.
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