Silent Deaths: Gaza's Children Dying Amid Worsening Famine

Days of Palestine

16-05-2025

DaysofPal- Hunger in Gaza is no longer just a fleeting feeling—it has become a harsh reality imposed by the brutal Israeli blockade. With border crossings shut for over 70 consecutive days, Israel continues to weaponize hunger against the people of Gaza. Families are unable to provide even a single meal a day.
Children suffer from malnutrition due to the unavailability of vitamin- and protein-rich foods like vegetables and fruits. Young men are physically exhausted, unable to carry out daily tasks due to insufficient food intake. Infants go to sleep hungry because their families cannot afford milk. Gaza has become 'uninhabitable.'
Each passing day brings more suffering for the besieged population. For many Palestinian families, even obtaining a loaf of bread has become a distant dream due to flour shortages and skyrocketing prices. A single sack of flour now costs up to 1,000 shekels—an unaffordable sum for families already devastated by over 18 months of war.
Since March 2, Israel has tightened its siege, blocking aid—including meat, vegetables, and fruit—and forcing bakeries to shut down due to a lack of flour and fuel.
In one displaced persons' tent in Gaza City, Abu Muhammad Mohsen, who fled northern Gaza, faces an empty food stockpile. 'We're living in unbearable conditions,' he told Felesteen newspaper. 'The crossings are closed, and Israel refuses to allow in humanitarian aid. We are starving. Our children are starving. We can't even find food to keep them alive.'
Mohsen, supporting a family of seven, said: 'For days, we've had no flour, no legumes, no gas, and no milk for the children. We can barely scrape together one meal, and food charities haven't come by for over a week. Our suffering grows worse every day.'
'We feel like strangers in our own homeland,' he added, staring at the empty food shelves in his tent. 'To the world I say: Help Gaza! Must our children die of hunger before you act?'
Yousef Dawoud, another displaced father of five, echoes the same desperation: 'Hunger is devouring my family. We lack even the bare essentials of life. I've had to grind lentils and pasta into flour to feed my children.'
'The famine worsens by the day,' he said, 'and death stalks us at every moment due to the lack of food.'
Elderly Abu Muhammad Mahdi said, 'We're living a real famine. No food, no flour—this is an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. We've lost even the charity meals that used to come once a day.'
'If the crossings remain closed,' Mahdi warned, 'many children, the elderly, and people of all ages will face certain death. We lack vital foods like vegetables and fruits, which provide the energy and vitamins our bodies need.'
According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report issued by UNRWA, 470,000 people in Gaza are expected to face catastrophic hunger (Phase 5) between May and September 2025, marking a 25% increase from previous estimates. The report confirms that all residents of Gaza are experiencing severe food insecurity.
The Government Media Office in Gaza stated that Israel is deliberately engineering a famine by continuing to close border crossings for more than 70 days and bakeries for over 40 days, while blocking the entry of 39,000 aid trucks, including essential food, fuel, and medical supplies.
In a press release, the office held Israel and its military and political backers—particularly the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France—legally and morally responsible for the grave humanitarian crimes being committed and their catastrophic impact on civilian life, public health, and the fate of hundreds of thousands of children, the sick, and the elderly.
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