Israel's blockade means Gaza's hospitals cannot provide food to recovering patients
'It's all finished, darling,' Ms. Fayez replied softly. Still, it was an improvement from the canned beans and tuna she brings on other days, she said.
Hospital patients are among the most vulnerable as Palestinians across Gaza struggle to feed themselves, with Israel's blockade on food and other supplies entering the territory now in its third month.
With hospitals unable to provide food, families must bring whatever they can find for loved ones.
'Most, if not all, wounded patients have lost weight, especially in the past two months,' Dr. Khaled Alserr, a general surgeon at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, told The Associated Press. Nutritional supplements for intensive care unit patients are lacking, he said.
'Our hands are tied when it comes to making the best choice for patients. Choices are limited,' he said.
Malnutrition is on the rise across Gaza, aid groups say. Thousands of children have been found with acute malnutrition in the past month, but adults as well are not getting proper nutrients, according to the U.N. It estimates that 16,000 pregnant women and new mothers this year face acute malnutrition.
Since Israel's blockade began on March 2, food sources have been drying up. Aid groups have stopped food distribution. Bakeries have closed. Charity kitchens handing out bowls of pasta or lentils remain the last lifeline for most of the population, but they are rapidly closing for lack of supplies, the U.N. says.
Markets are empty of almost everything but canned goods and small amounts of vegetables, and prices have been rising. Local production of vegetables has plummeted because Israeli forces have damaged 80% of Gaza's farmlands, the U.N. says, and much of the rest is inaccessible inside newly declared military zones.
Ms. Fayez's son, Ali al-Dbary, was admitted to Nasser Hospital because of a blocked intestine, suffering from severe cramps and unable to use the bathroom. Ms. Fayez believes it's because he has been eating little but canned goods. She splurged on the zucchini, which now costs around $10 a kilogram (2.2 pounds). Before the war it was less than a dollar.
Doctors said the hospital doesn't have a functioning scanner to diagnose her son and decide whether he needs surgery.
Israel says it imposed the blockade and resumed its military campaign in March to pressure Hamas to release its remaining hostages and disarm.
Hamas ignited the war with its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostage, most of whom have been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's offensive has killed over 52,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants.
Israeli officials have asserted that enough food entered Gaza during a two-month ceasefire earlier this year. Rights groups have disputed that and called the blockade a 'starvation tactic' and a potential war crime.
Now Israeli plans to control aid distribution in Gaza, using private contractors to distribute supplies. The U.N. and aid groups have rejected the idea, saying it could restrict who is eligible to give and receive aid and could force large numbers of Palestinians to move — which would violate international law.
Those under care at hospitals, and their families who scrounge to feed them, would face further challenges under Israel's proposal. Moving to reach aid could be out of the question.
Another patient at Nasser Hospital, 19-year-old Asmaa Faraj, had shrapnel in her chest from an airstrike that hit close to her tent and a nearby charity kitchen in camps for displaced people outside Khan Younis.
When the AP visited, the only food she had was a small bag of dates, a date cookie and some water bottles. Her sister brought her some pickles.
'People used to bring fruits as a gift when they visited sick people in hospitals,' said the sister, Salwa Faraj. 'Today, we have bottles of water.'
She said her sister needs protein, fruits and vegetables but none are available.
Mohammed al-Bursh managed to find a few cans of tuna and beans to bring for his 30-year-old son, Sobhi al-Bursh, who was wounded in an airstrike three months ago. Mr. Sobhi al-Bursh's left foot was amputated, and he has two shattered vertebrae in his neck.
Mr. Mohammed al-Bursh gently gave his son spoonfuls of beans as he lay still in the hospital bed, a brace on his neck.
'Everything is expensive,' Mr. Sobhi al-Bursh said, gritting with pain that he says is constant. He said he limits what he eats to help save his father money.
He believes that his body needs meat to heal. 'It has been three months, and nothing heals,' he said.

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Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Israel begins pause in fighting in 3 Gaza areas as hunger concerns mount
The Israeli military on Sunday began a limited pause in fighting in three populated areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day, part of a series of steps that included multiple airdrops as concerns over surging hunger in the territory mount and Israel faces a wave of international criticism over its conduct in the 21-month war. The military said it would begin a daily 'tactical pause' in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three areas of the territory with large populations, to 'increase the scale of humanitarian aid' entering the territory. The pause was running from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm local time and was to be repeated each day until further notice. In a sign of how precarious the situation remained for people in Gaza, shortly after the pause began, Gaza health officials said an Israeli airstrike on an apartment in Gaza City killed a woman and her four children. A second strike killed four people, including a young boy, his mother and his grandfather, in the eastern Zaytoun neighbourhood, health officials said. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on either strike. Food experts have warned for months of the risk of famine in Gaza, where Israel has restricted aid because it says Hamas siphons off goods to help bolster its rule, without providing evidence for that claim. Images emerging from Gaza in recent days of emaciated children have fanned global criticism of Israel, including by close allies, who have called for an end to the war and the humanitarian catastrophe it has spawned. 'Every delay is measured by another funeral' Israel said the new measures were taking place while it continues its offensive against Hamas in other areas. Health officials in Gaza said at least 38 Palestinians were killed in separate strikes from late Saturday into Sunday, including 23 people seeking aid. As part of the eased restrictions, the military also said that it would put in place secure routes for aid delivery. It also said it carried out aid airdrops into Gaza, which included packages of aid with flour, sugar and canned food. Jordan announced it had carried out three airdrops over the skies of Gaza, including one in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates. It said the cargo planes had dropped 25 tons of food and supplies on several locations in Gaza. The United Nations' food agency welcomed the steps to ease aid restrictions, but said a broader ceasefire was needed to ensure goods reached everyone in need in Gaza. UNICEF called it 'an opportunity to save lives.' Shaina Low, communications adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council, said the latest steps remained 'far from adequate to address the staggering needs in Gaza.' She called for the opening of all crossings and unrestricted humanitarian access into Gaza. Dr Muneer al-Boursh, director general of Gaza's Health Ministry, called for a flood of medical supplies and other goods to help treat child malnutrition. 'This (humanitarian) truce will mean nothing if it doesn't turn into a real opportunity to save lives,' he said. 'Every delay is measured by another funeral.' Negotiating teams recalled The local pause in fighting came days after ceasefire efforts between Israel and Hamas appeared to be in doubt. Israel and the US recalled their negotiating teams from Qatar on Thursday, blaming Hamas, and Israel said it was considering 'alternative options' to ceasefire talks with the militant group. Israel says it is prepared to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile, something the group has refused to agree to. Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawi said that Israel's change of tack on the humanitarian crisis amounted to an acknowledgement that there were starving Palestinians in Gaza and that the move was meant to improve its international standing and not save lives. He said that Israel 'will not escape punishment and will inevitably pay the price for these criminal practices.' Famine-like conditions After ending the latest ceasefire in March, Israel cut off the entry of food, medicine, fuel and other supplies completely to Gaza for 2 ½ months, saying it aimed to pressure Hamas to release hostages. Under international pressure, Israel slightly eased the blockade in May. Since then, it has allowed in around 4,500 trucks for the UN and other aid groups to distribute. The average of 69 trucks a day, however, is far below the 500 to 600 trucks a day the UN says are needed for Gaza. The UN says it has been unable to distribute much of the aid because hungry crowds and gangs take most of it from its arriving trucks. As a way to divert aid delivery away from the UN's control, Israel has backed the US-registered Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which in May opened four centres distributing boxes of food. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food, mostly near those new aid sites, the UN human rights office says. Israel has railed against the UN throughout the war, saying that its system allowed Hamas to steal aid. The UN denies that claim and says its delivery mechanism was the best way to bring aid to Palestinians. The military said the new steps were made in coordination with the UN and other humanitarian groups. Much of Gaza's population, squeezed by fighting into ever tinier patches of land, now relies on aid. The World Food Programme said that a third of Gaza's population of around 2 million were not eating for days and nearly half a million were enduring famine-like conditions. It said it had enough food in or on its way to the region to feed all of Gaza for nearly three months. At least 38 killed in latest strikes The Awda Hospital in Nuseirat said Israeli forces killed at least 13 people, including four children and a woman, and wounded 101 as they were headed toward a GHF aid distribution site in central Gaza. GHF, which denies involvement in any of the violence near its sites, said there were no incidents at or near its sites. The military said it was looking into the report. Ten other people were killed seeking aid in multiple areas of Gaza, including northwestern Gaza City, where more than 50 people were wounded, hospital officials and medics said. The military, which had no immediate comment on the strikes, announced Sunday that two more soldiers were killed in Gaza, bringing the total number to 898 since October 7, 2023. The war began with Hamas' October 2023 attack on southern Israel, when militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages. Hamas still holds 50 hostages, more than half of them believed to be dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 59,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children. The ministry operates under the Hamas government. The UN and other international organisations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Starvation crisis in Gaza: Hospitals struggle as babies die, medical staff collapse from hunger
Starvation is silently devastating Gaza as the humanitarian crisis deepens with every passing day. Hospitals struggle to care for patients and newborns amid crippling shortages of food, medical supplies, and vital nutrients. Nurses faint from hunger, doctors face impossible choices, and infants are given only water to survive. With a blockade choking aid deliveries and food prices soaring, Gaza's most vulnerable, especially children and mothers, are paying the highest price in what experts call a deliberate weaponization of starvation, the NYT reported. Hospitals on the brink: Staff fainting, formula running out In Gaza's few remaining hospitals, a grim scene unfolds: nurses fainting from hunger and dehydration, patients and staff going without meals, and doctors running out of life-saving formula and nutritional fluids. Newborns are sometimes given only water, a deadly stopgap. Critical shortages: IV fluids and malnourished infants At least three major hospitals lack the intravenous fluids necessary to treat malnourished children and adults. Doctors describe helplessly managing the decline of starving infants, unable to safely flood their weakened bodies with nutrients without risking fatal complications. Doctors speak out: 'Man-made starvation' as a weapon 'I have seen babies brought in starving and malnourished, unable to be saved,' Dr Ambereen Sleemi, an American surgeon volunteering in Gaza, was quoted by the NYT as saying. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Unsold 2021 Cars Now Almost Free - Prices May Surprise You Unsold Cars | Search Ads Learn More Undo British volunteer Dr Nick Maynard called it 'man-made starvation', a weapon of war that will claim countless more lives unless aid reaches Gaza immediately. Starvation deaths surge amid war Starvation deaths have surged in recent weeks, with 56 Palestinians dying of hunger just this month alone, nearly half of all such deaths since the war began 22 months ago, according to Gaza's health ministry. Medical staff collapsing amid shortages Medical staff, already stretched thin treating war wounds, now collapse in operating rooms and wards due to severe malnutrition and exhaustion. Hospitals face desperate shortages of antibiotics, painkillers, and special feeding drips. Blockade chokes aid, puts lives at risk The crisis is driven by a months-long blockade on aid imposed by Israel, which has severely restricted food and medical supplies entering Gaza. While some aid now trickles in, distribution is controlled by Israeli-backed contractors and limited to a few sites far from many Palestinians, forcing people to risk deadly military fire just to reach food. Infants and mothers starving: The deadly toll 'The immediate cause of death for many infants is simple: They do not get enough to eat, and neither do their mothers,' said Dr Hani al-Faleet, pediatric consultant at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Starvation triggers other health crises Starvation also worsens other conditions. Malnourished mothers suffer miscarriages and premature births; babies born too weak to survive; and infections and immune collapse rise sharply. Astronomical food prices push families to the edge Food prices in Gaza have skyrocketed, a kilogram of flour costs up to $30, tomatoes and rice nearly as much, making even basic sustenance unaffordable for most. Israel defends blockade, critics call it a 'blockade on life' Israel defends its blockade and new aid system as necessary to prevent Hamas from diverting supplies. However, humanitarians and many doctors reject this claim, calling it a blockade on life. Staff burden 'immense' as malnutrition hits medical teams Dr Mohammad Abu Salmiya, director of Gaza's largest hospital, said the burden on medical staff is 'immense,' with some fainting in emergency wards due to lack of food. A mother's struggle: Baby salam's fight for life The story of baby Salam Barghouth, three months old and severely malnourished, epitomizes the crisis. Her mother, Hanin, is too weak to leave home, and formula costs $120 a container, out of reach for most. Salam was born during war and now fights for survival amid starvation. More children suffer in silence: Yazan's story Elsewhere in Gaza, children like two-year-old Yazan Abu al-Foul suffer in silence, denied inpatient care due to equipment shortages. His family cannot feed him adequately. Doctors' warning: Urgent action needed to prevent more deaths Doctors warn: without urgent international intervention, more children and adults will die, victims of a slow-moving famine in one of the world's most embattled regions.


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
WHO says malnutrition reaching 'alarming levels' in Gaza
Palestinians gather to receive food from charity kitchen, in Gaza City GENEVA: Malnutrition rates are reaching "alarming levels" in the Gaza Strip, the World Health Organization warned Sunday, saying the "deliberate blocking" of aid was entirely preventable and had cost many lives. "Malnutrition is on a dangerous trajectory in the Gaza Strip, marked by a spike in deaths in July," the WHO said in a statement. Of the 74 recorded malnutrition-related deaths in 2025, 63 had occurred in July -- including 24 children under five, one child aged over five, and 38 adults, it added. "Most of these people were declared dead on arrival at health facilities or died shortly after, their bodies showing clear signs of severe wasting," the UN health agency said. "The crisis remains entirely preventable. Deliberate blocking and delay of large-scale food, health, and humanitarian aid has cost many lives." Nearly one in five children under five in Gaza City is now acutely malnourished, the WHO said, citing its Nutrition Cluster partners. It said the percentage of children aged six to 59 months suffering from acute malnutrition had tripled in the city since June, making it the worst-hit area in the Palestinian territory. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo In Khan Yunis and middle Gaza, those rates have doubled in less than a month, it added. "These figures are likely an underestimation due to the severe access and security constraints preventing many families from reaching health facilities," the WHO said. Israel on Sunday began a limited "tactical pause" in military operations to allow the UN and aid agencies to tackle a deepening hunger crisis. But the WHO called for sustained efforts to "flood" the Gaza Strip with diverse, nutritious food, and for the expedited delivery of therapeutic supplies for children and vulnerable groups, plus essential medicines and supplies. "This flow must remain consistent and unhindered to support recovery and prevent further deterioration", the Geneva-based agency said.