The latest child to starve to death in Gaza weighed less than when she was born
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Canada News.Net
5 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Malnutrition in Gaza spreading at terrifying speed, warns WHO
GAZA, Palestinian territories - At least 63 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza on Sunday, according to local health authorities, just hours after Israel announced a daily 10-hour "pause" in military operations to facilitate aid deliveries. The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised alarms over catastrophic hunger and collapsing healthcare systems as the conflict enters its tenth month. On Sunday, Israel said it would halt attacks from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time in parts of central and northern Gaza, including al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah, and Gaza City, while opening aid corridors for food and medical supplies. However, reports indicate airstrikes continued in areas designated as "safe zones." Famine and Malnutrition at Crisis Levels Gaza's Health Ministry reported six more starvation-related deaths in the past 24 hours, including two children, bringing the total to 133 since October 2023. Among the victims was five-month-old Zainab Abu Haleeb, who died from severe malnutrition at Nasser Hospital. "Three months inside the hospital, and this is what I get in return—that she is dead," her mother, Israa Abu Haleeb, told reporters. WHO data shows over 20 percent of pregnant and breastfeeding women in Gaza are acutely malnourished, while the World Food Programme (WFP) warns that one in three Gazans has gone days without food. Nearly 500,000 people face "famine-like conditions." "The health system is on its knees, and malnutrition is spreading at terrifying speed," said a WHO spokesperson. "Without sustained humanitarian access, more children will die from hunger and preventable diseases." "This crisis is entirely preventable," WHO said, blaming the deliberate obstruction of aid for the mounting toll. Aid Efforts Inadequate Amid Persistent Dangers Despite Israel's announcement of new aid routes and airdrops by the UAE and Jordan, humanitarian access remains critically insufficient. In one incident, an aid pallet struck a displacement camp near al-Rasheed Road, injuring 11 people. WHO and UN agencies stress that deliveries must be accelerated and safely coordinated to prevent further deaths. However, Israeli restrictions and ongoing hostilities continue to obstruct relief efforts. Displaced families describe harrowing conditions. "I've risked my life searching for food—my children haven't eaten in a week," said Smoud Wahdan, a mother in Gaza. Another woman, Tahani, told reporters her cancer-stricken child is wasting away: "I wish the world would wake up and see us." UN and WHO Demand Urgent Action Medical Aid for Palestinians and other aid groups report unprecedented suffering. "People are skin and bones; money means nothing when markets are empty," said Liz Allcock, a humanitarian worker. WHO warns that 25% of Gaza's population is at risk of acute malnutrition, with hospitals overwhelmed by starvation-related cases. The United Nations reiterates that a ceasefire and full humanitarian access are the only ways to prevent mass starvation. "Every delay costs lives," said a UN official.
Global News
2 days ago
- Global News
The latest child to starve to death in Gaza weighed less than when she was born
A mother pressed a final kiss to what remained of her 5-month-old daughter and wept. Esraa Abu Halib's baby now weighed less than when she was born. The bundle containing Zainab Abu Halib represented the latest death from starvation after 21 months of war and Israeli restrictions on aid. The baby was brought to the pediatric department of Nasser Hospital on Friday. She was already dead. A worker at the morgue carefully removed her Mickey Mouse-printed shirt, pulling it over her sunken, open eyes. He pulled up the hems of her pants to show her knobby knees. His thumb was wider than her ankle. He could count the bones of her chest. The girl had weighed over 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) when she was born, her mother said. When she died, she weighed less than 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds). Story continues below advertisement A doctor said it was a case of 'severe, severe starvation.' She was wrapped in a white sheet for burial and placed on the sandy ground for prayers. The bundle was barely wider than the imam's stance. He raised his open hands and invoked Allah once more. She needed special formula Zainab was one of 85 children to die of malnutrition-related causes in Gaza in the past three weeks, according to the latest toll released by the territory's Health Ministry on Saturday. Another 42 adults died of malnutrition-related causes in the same period, it said. 'She needed a special baby formula which did not exist in Gaza,' Zainab's father, Ahmed Abu Halib, told The Associated Press as he prepared for her funeral prayers in the hospital's courtyard in the southern city of Khan Younis. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Dr. Ahmed al-Farah, head of the pediatric department, said the girl had needed a special type of formula that helps with babies allergic to cow's milk. He said she hadn't suffered from any diseases, but the lack of the formula led to chronic diarrhea and vomiting. She wasn't able to swallow as her weakened immune system led to a bacterial infection and sepsis, and quickly lost more weight. 'Many will follow' The child's family, like many of Gaza's Palestinians, lives in a tent, displaced. Her mother, who also has suffered from malnutrition, said she breastfed the girl for only six weeks before trying to feed her formula. Story continues below advertisement 'With my daughter's death, many will follow,' she said. 'Their names are on a list that no one looks at. They are just names and numbers. We are just numbers. Our children, whom we carried for nine months and then gave birth to, have become just numbers.' Her loose robe hid her own weight loss. The arrival of children suffering from malnutrition has surged in recent weeks, al-Farah said. His department, with a capacity of eight beds, has been treating about 60 cases of acute malnutrition. They have placed additional mattresses on the ground. Another malnutrition clinic, affiliated with the hospital, receives an average of 40 cases weekly, he said. 'Unless the crossings are opened and food and baby formula are allowed in for this vulnerable segment of Palestinian society, we will witness unprecedented numbers of deaths,' he warned. Doctors and aid workers in Gaza blame Israel's restrictions on the entry of aid and medical supplies. Food security experts warn of famine in the territory of over 2 million people. 'Shortage of everything' After ending the latest ceasefire in March, Israel cut off the entry of food, medicine, fuel and other supplies completely to Gaza for 2 1/2 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 U.N. and other aid groups to distribute, including 2,500 tons of baby food and high-calorie special food for children, Israel's Foreign Ministry said last week. Israel says baby formula has been included, plus formula for special needs. Story continues below advertisement The average of 69 trucks a day, however, is far below the 500 to 600 trucks a day the U.N. says are needed for Gaza. The U.N. says it has been unable to distribute much of the aid because hungry crowds and gangs take most of it from its arriving trucks. Separately, Israel has backed the U.S.-registered Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which in May opened four centers distributing boxes of food supplies. 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 U.N. human rights office says. Much of Gaza's population now relies on aid. 'There was a shortage of everything,' the mother of Zainab said as she grieved. 'How can a girl like her recover?'
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
The latest child to starve to death in Gaza weighed less than when she was born
Palestinians pray over the body of 5-month-old baby, Zainab Abu Halib, who died from malnutrition-related causes, according to the family and the hospital, during her funeral outside the Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga) Content warning: This story contains graphic descriptions. Reader discretion is advised. KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — A mother pressed a final kiss to what remained of her five-month-old daughter and wept. Esraa Abu Halib's baby now weighed less than when she was born. On a sunny street in shattered Gaza, the bundle containing Zainab Abu Halib represented the latest death from starvation after 21 months of war and Israeli restrictions on aid. The baby was brought to the pediatric department of Nasser Hospital on Friday. She was already dead. A worker at the morgue carefully removed her Mickey Mouse-printed shirt, pulling it over her sunken, open eyes. He pulled up the hems of her pants to show her knobby knees. His thumb was wider than her ankle. He could count the bones of her chest. The girl had weighed over three kilograms (6.6 pounds) when she was born, her mother said. When she died, she weighed less than two kilograms (4.4 pounds). A doctor said it was a case of 'severe, severe starvation.' She was wrapped in a white sheet for burial and placed on the sandy ground for prayers. The bundle was barely wider than the imam's stance. He raised his open hands and invoked Allah once more. She needed special formula Zainab was one of 85 children to die of malnutrition-related causes in Gaza in the past three weeks, according to the latest toll released by the territory's Health Ministry on Saturday. Another 42 adults died of malnutrition-related causes in the same period, it said. 'She needed a special baby formula which did not exist in Gaza,' Zainab's father, Ahmed Abu Halib, told The Associated Press as he prepared for her funeral prayers in the hospital's courtyard in the southern city of Khan Younis. Dr. Ahmed al-Farah, head of the pediatric department, said the girl had needed a special type of formula that helps with babies allergic to cow's milk. He said she hadn't suffered from any diseases, but the lack of the formula led to chronic diarrhea and vomiting. She wasn't able to swallow as her weakened immune system led to a bacterial infection and sepsis, and quickly lost more weight. 'Many will follow' The child's family, like many of Gaza's Palestinians, lives in a tent, displaced. Her mother, who also has suffered from malnutrition, said she breastfed the girl for only six weeks before trying to feed her formula. 'With my daughter's death, many will follow,' she said. 'Their names are on a list that no one looks at. They are just names and numbers. We are just numbers. Our children, whom we carried for nine months and then gave birth to, have become just numbers.' Her loose robe hid her own weight loss. The arrival of children suffering from malnutrition has surged in recent weeks, al-Farah said. His department, with a capacity of eight beds, has been treating about 60 cases of acute malnutrition. They have placed additional mattresses on the ground. Another malnutrition clinic, affiliated with the hospital, receives an average of 40 cases weekly, he said. 'Unless the crossings are opened and food and baby formula are allowed in for this vulnerable segment of Palestinian society, we will witness unprecedented numbers of deaths,' he warned. Doctors and aid workers in Gaza blame Israel's restrictions on the entry of aid and medical supplies. Food security experts warn of famine in the territory of over two million people. 'Shortage of everything' After ending the latest ceasefire in March, Israel cut off the entry of food, medicine, fuel and other supplies completely to Gaza for 2 1/2 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, including 2,500 tons of baby food and high-calorie special food for children, Israel's Foreign Ministry said last week. Israel says baby formula has been included, plus formula for special needs. 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. Separately, Israel has backed the U.S.-registered Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which in May opened four centres distributing boxes of food supplies. 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. Much of Gaza's population now relies on aid. 'There was a shortage of everything,' the mother of Zainab said as she grieved. 'How can a girl like her recover?' Magdy reported from Cairo. Samy Magdy And Mariam Dagga, The Associated Press
