Gaza malnutrition crisis worsens as children suffer most
Aid remains scarce as the humanitarian crisis deepens in the war-torn Palestinian territory.
Gaza's civil defence agency reported a rise in infant deaths due to severe hunger and malnutrition, with at least three fatalities in the past week.
'These heartbreaking cases were not caused by direct bombing but by starvation, the lack of baby formula and the absence of basic healthcare,' said civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal.
Displaced families struggle to find food, with prices skyrocketing due to depleted stocks. Ziad Musleh, a father sheltering in Nuseirat, shared his despair: 'We are dying, our children are dying and we can't do anything to stop it. Our children cry and scream for food. They go to sleep in pain, in hunger, with empty stomachs.'
At a UN-run shelter, children waited for food, their faces visibly thin from hunger. Umm Sameh Abu Zeina, who lost 35 kilograms, said, 'I don't eat, I leave the food I receive for my daughter.'
The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) warned that flour prices are now 3,000 times higher than before the war.
WFP director Carl Skau described the situation as 'the worst I've ever seen,' with people starving despite food being available just across the border.
Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported record malnutrition cases, particularly among pregnant women and children.
'Our neonatal intensive care unit is severely overcrowded, with four to five babies sharing a single incubator,' said MSF doctor Joanne Perry.
Amina Wafi, a 10-year-old from Khan Yunis, said, 'I'm always hungry. I always tell my father, 'I want food', but there is none.'
The crisis follows Israel's blockade after ceasefire talks collapsed, leading to severe shortages.
The UN considers Gaza's health ministry figures reliable, reporting over 58,895 Palestinian deaths, mostly civilians, since the conflict began. - AFP
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