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USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
One meal a day. $20 for an egg. Choosing which kid gets fed. Starvation stalks Gaza
One meal a day. Forced to choose which of her kids get fed. In the market, because all the banks are closed and there is a cash liquidity crisis, $20 for a single egg; $1,400 for a bag of flour that might last 20 days. Such is the plight of Gazans like Amal Nassar, 35, an English teacher from Deir Al-Balah, in the central part of the Palestinian enclave. Nassar, her three children and husband are among more than 2 million Gazans who remain trapped almost two years since the war that began after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. "We don't have enough to eat," Nassar said in a WhatsApp message over the weekend. USA TODAY previously wrote about Nassar's story of giving birth to her daughter Mira in a war zone without access to pain relief. On July 28, for the second day running, Israel paused its military operations in Gaza to "improve the humanitarian response." That follows a series of alarming warnings from world leaders and global officials, from the United Nations' World Health Organization, and from dozens of humanitarian agencies that malnutrition and even starvation in Gaza is on a "dangerous trajectory." Israel-Gaza: What to know Gaza as starvation spreads The United Nations' World Food Programme says a third of Gaza's population does not eat for several days at a time. Every one in four Gazans, it says, is "enduring famine-like conditions." The Hamas-run health ministry, the chief source of health data in Gaza, says more than 100 people have died from malnutrition in recent days. Israel refutes claims that it is intentionally starving Gaza Israel refutes all claims that it is intentionally starving Gaza's population. It accuses the United Nations of failing to collect and distribute aid sitting on Gaza's border. For nearly two years, it has also accused Hamas of stealing aid for Gaza's desperate and hungry population and using it as a weapon of control. "There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on July 28. He called suggestions there is a "bold-faced lie," prompting a response from President Donald Trump while he was on a golf trip in Scotland. "From what I see on TV, I can say those kids look starving," Trump said. ''We're sending a lot of money and a lot of food. The children in Gaza must receive food and security immediately." Pregnant in Gaza: women face starvation, no anesthesia Going hungry in Gaza Recent reports indicate there's not much evidence of systematic Hamas aid theft. Amid growing international pressure, Israel has also allowed the United Arab Emirates and Jordan to resume aid drops of flour, sugar and canned foods over Gaza. But aid workers say that tactic is not as effective as convoys of trucks. Even large transport planes can't carry as much aid as truck convoys. They can also be dangerous. It's not uncommon for aid drop from planes to injure or even kill those who are trying to get to them. "We need more food to be able to enter Gaza," said Beckie Ryan, the Gaza response director for CARE, an aid group. Ryan is in Deir Al-Balah. CARE runs a health clinic there. She said "everyone is hungry." She also said her clinic has seen a spike in cases of children who are either malnourished or acutely malnourished, and that soaring summer temperatures combined with limited water supplies are exacerbating the situation. Ryan also said cases like Nassar's were fairly typical in Gaza right now. Most people are limited to one meal a day. They are having to chose which of their children gets food. Because no cash has been allowed into Gaza for almost two years, and markets only accept cash, those who are still lucky enough to be earning a salary are having to pay as much as double to effectively buy the cash they need to pay for the limited goods for sale. Ryan said there are "multiple layers" that explain why it's been so hard to get food to Gazans. However, she said the most important thing is "access to the thousands of trucks that are sitting in Egypt and Jordan. It's the quickest and most efficient way. Right now our ability to move those trucks is extremely limited." For Nasser, where the food comes from or who's to blame for the lack of it is of secondary importance. She said she and her husband don't dare go near aid distribution centers run the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an American contractor. They are too scared. It is backed by the United States and Israel but not the United Nations. The international body has reported hundreds of deaths of Palestinians trying to access these centers. Some of those deaths have been linked, by the United Nations, to Israeli gunfire and shelling. GHF has accused the United Nations of "false and exaggerated statistics" over these deaths. Nasser said that weeks can go by without her family eating a single piece of fresh fruit or a vegetable. She said that one diaper for her daughter, Mira, can cost as much as $10 with the extra fees for cash. She uses plastic bags when she can't afford diapers but they give Mira rashes that bleed. She said she constantly worries about her children. They are losing weight. She herself is newly pregnant, exhausted and often feels dizzy. "Our situation," she said, "is really horrible."
Medscape
4 hours ago
- Medscape
ED Intubation May Raise Mortality Risk in Active Hemorrhage
TOPLINE: In a cohort study of patients with active hemorrhage, endotracheal intubation in the emergency department (ED) was associated with higher mortality rates, more frequent ICU admissions, and a greater need for blood transfusion compared with intubation in the operating room (OR). METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a nationwide, retrospective cohort analysis using data from the Israel National Trauma Registry between 2013 and 2023. A total of 1527 patients (median age, 29 years; 89.6% men) who required transfer to the OR for hemorrhage control surgery within 90 minutes of ED arrival were included. A total of 279 participants underwent endotracheal intubation in the ED and 1248 were intubated upon arrival in the OR. Indications for immediate intubation in the ED included having a Glasgow Coma Scale score < 9 or serious injuries (Abbreviated Injury Score [AIS] ≥ 3) to the head, face, neck, or thorax. The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge for patients with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) > 14, and secondary outcomes included blood transfusion requirements and ICU admission following hemorrhage control procedures. Patients were followed up until discharge from their respective trauma care centers, and potential confounders included age, sex, systolic blood pressure on admission, ISS, and blunt vs penetrating trauma. TAKEAWAY: Patients intubated in the ED had higher in-hospital mortality (5.0% vs 0.5%; P < .001), higher ICU admission rates (63.1% vs 28.9%; P < .001), and a greater need for blood transfusion in the ED (49.8% vs 15.0%; P < .001) than those intubated in the OR. After adjustment for confounders, ED intubation was independently associated with increased mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 5.01; P = .006). In the matched cohort, ED intubation trended toward higher mortality (8.0% vs 2.9%; aOR, 3.10; P = .065) Among the patients intubated in the ED, 44.1% were hospitalized for 14 or more days, whereas 19.6% of those intubated in the OR were hospitalized for the same duration ( P < .001). For the whole cohort, intubation in the ED was independently associated with increased ICU admission (aOR, 3.17; P < .001) and a greater need for blood product transfusion (aOR, 4.81; P < .001). IN PRACTICE: "Trauma [care] providers should prioritize blood-based resuscitation to optimize the patient's physiology before proceeding with intubation, while also minimizing delays to definitive care in the OR. Airway management, particularly in the ED, should be performed only when there is a clear indication and, whenever possible, after the patient has been physiologically optimized," the authors wrote. SOURCE: The study was led by Danny Epstein, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel. It was published online on June 14, 2025, in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. LIMITATIONS: The study was limited by incomplete registry data on the specific clinical indications and timing of ED intubations. The exact factors contributing to mortality could not be determined, and the exclusion of patients who died before reaching the OR may have led to underestimated mortality rates. Additionally, the registry did not capture patient comorbidities, which could have influenced hemodynamic stability and intubation-related complications. DISCLOSURES: The authors reported no funding sources or relevant conflicts of interest. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
NBC News
5 hours ago
- NBC News
Israel allows new trickle of aid into starving Gaza amid mounting global criticism
The new trickle of aid Israel has allowed into Gaza is not enough to stave off famine, aid groups have warned, as a new round of "tactical pauses" were set to take place Monday. The partial easing of restrictions comes amid mounting global outrag e over rising deaths and scenes of starvation under Israel's military offensive on the Palestinian enclave it has besieged. 'This is progress, but vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis,' United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher warned in a statement Sunday after Israel announced a pause in military operations in certain areas for 10 hours daily. His warning was echoed by others as the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave said Monday that 14 new deaths over the past 24 hours were attributed to 'famine and malnutrition,' with two children among those killed. That brought the total number of deaths due to malnutrition up to 147, including 88 children, since the war began, the health ministry said, with most of those recorded in recent months, according to statements from the United Nations. NBC News was not able to independently confirm the figures. Humanitarian groups and doctors have warned for weeks of mounting malnutrition in Gaza, with Israel allowing only a 'basic' amount of food in since May when it lifted its weekslong blockade barring the entry of aid into the enclave. 'The scale of this needs to be a lot bigger and immediate to be able to make any dent,' Beckie Ryan, response director in Gaza for CARE, a humanitarian agency working to address global hunger, said in a phone interview Monday morning, Ryan expressed some optimism but added that a ceasefire would be the best way to address the spiraling hunger crisis. Just under 30 aid packages carrying food were airdropped over Gaza on Sunday, COGAT, the Israeli military's liaison with the Palestinians, said in a statement. Video captured by NBC News' crew on the ground showed scores of Palestinians running toward a handful of parachutes dotting the sky in northern Gaza, which COGAT said was airdropped in collaboration with the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. Meanwhile, Palestinians could could also be seen carrying bags of flour slung over their shoulders after more than 120 trucks carrying aid were collected and distributed by the U.N. and other aid organizations, according to COGAT. Abdul Rahman Al-Kahlout, 18, said he waited for hours under the blazing sun in hope of reaching the supplies before they ran out. "We died in the sun for four hours," Al-Kahlout said. He described shots being fired and soldiers surrounding Palestinians as they waited for the aid several times. He said he feared he was "going to die for flour." More than 1,000 people, including children, have been killed by Israeli forces while waiting for and trying to reach aid since a new aid distribution system was implemented in late May, led by the controversial U.S. and Israel-backed group the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Health officials in Gaza said Israeli attacks killed at least 41 Palestinians from late Saturday into Sunday, including 26 people who were seeking aid, The Associated Press reported. Facing growing pressure from the global community, Israel has sought to justify both its restrictions and the introduction of a new distribution system by arguing that Hamas has been diverting aid from civilians in the enclave throughout the war. But an internal U.S. government analysis has found no evidence of systematic theft of aid supplies by Hamas over the past 20 months, according to a report presented to State Department officials and later seen by NBC News. The IDF dismissed the report as "biased." Both the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Food Programme have previously told NBC News that they had not seen any evidence of Hamas diverting aid. The World Food Programme said Sunday that it had enough food in and on its way to the region to feed the entire population of Gaza "for almost three months," if enabled to do so, as it warned that a "third of the population" is still "not eating for days."
