
IDF strike kills Gazan children awaiting food supplements, health officials say
Eyad Amawi, director of al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, said his facility had received at least 17 dead and more than 30 others injured by midmorning. Others were taken to local field hospitals, Amawi said.
'Those people were trying to feed their children,' he said.
The IDF said that it was 'aware of reports regarding a number of injured individuals in the area,' and that it was reviewing the incident.
'The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to minimize harm as much as possible,' it added. It did not respond to questions about what weapon was used, what steps were taken to minimize civilian harm, or why the target was struck while near a crowd of women and children.
The Project HOPE clinic, which Abutaha said screens children for malnutrition and provides them and lactating women with nutritional supplements, is on the front lines of efforts to treat fast-rising rates of malnutrition amid widespread hunger in the Israeli-besieged Strip.
Advertisement
Malnutrition among children has been increasing at an 'alarming rate' in recent months, with more than 5,000 children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years diagnosed with acute malnutrition in May alone, according to UNICEF.
Only at one other point of the war, in December, has malnutrition been worse. But malnutrition rates have risen to similar levels just four months since the end of the most recent ceasefire, which lasted two months and saw a surge in aid before it collapsed in March.
Dua al-Hazarin, a local journalist, said in a phone interview that she was passing through the area when the strike hit near the clinic.
'The scene was so painful, more than you can imagine,' she said. '[Dead] children in the middle of the street.'
In footage she took and shared on social media, dust rises from the streets as the high-pitched wails and screams of children ring out. Women gather around the body of a child with blood seeping from his head. Elsewhere, bodies lie on the ground with pools of blood around them. One bloodied little girl is motionless in a pink dress. Next to her is a man hunched over with blood seeping from his head and another woman, both lying still, their conditions unclear. The camera continues to pan over more bodies, many of them children, collapsed across the pavement.
Because of Gaza's acute fuel crisis — no fuel has entered the Strip since the beginning of March, according to the United Nations — Thursday's victims had to be brought to the hospital on carts pulled by animals, because cars and ambulances were not available, Hazarin said.
Advertisement
At al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, the fuel shortage was complicating efforts to care for the victims, Amawi said.
As of Thursday, fuel reserves fell so low that the hospital could no longer run generators that were keeping lights on, and electricity was cut, he said. The hospital was using solar energy to run the most vital machines, Amawi said, but described it as only a short-term fix.
'The casualties are in a complex situation,' he said. 'They need more intensive medical intervention, more than is available here with this condition.'
Awami also shared an image of a CT scan of one of the hospital's patients, whom he identified as 11-year-old Eman Abu Shalouf. She has a 'severe traumatic brain injury,' Awami said, adding that she fears she will die.
In images shared by Awami and Mohammad al-Haj, spokesman for al-Aqsa Hospital, multiple bloodied and bandaged children are cared for in the same hospital bed. In another photo, a young girl is hooked up to machines while lying on the floor.
Local photojournalist Mohammed Fayeq told The Washington Post that the scene in the hospital was 'truly catastrophic' as casualties poured in. In photos he shared on social media, five dead children covered in blood are lined up on the hospital floor. The little girl in a pink dress appears among them. In a video he took, injured children wail as they are treated on the bloodied hospital floor.
The strike came amid intensified diplomatic efforts to end the war, which in 21 months has killed more than 57,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority killed are women and children.
Advertisement
European officials on Thursday struck a new deal with Israel to allow desperately needed food and fuel into Gaza. The agreement could result in 'more crossings open, aid and food trucks entering Gaza, repair of vital infrastructure and protection of aid workers,' said Kaja Kallas, the 27-member EU's top diplomat.
'We count on Israel to implement every measure agreed,' she said in a post on social media.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time Business News
an hour ago
- Time Business News
Dr. Fakhrul Islam Babu (孫逸仙) Receives Icons of Change International Award 2025 for Championing Youth Mental Health in Bangladesh
In a landmark moment for humanitarian leadership and mental health advocacy, Dr. Fakhrul Islam Babu (孫逸仙) has been awarded the Icons of Change International Award 2025 for his outstanding contribution to youth mental health and inclusive governance. This global recognition comes particularly in honor of his role as Adviser and Chief Patron of Talk Hope, a pioneering suicide prevention and mental health awareness platform based in Bangladesh. The Icons of Change Awards, which annually honor changemakers aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), selected Dr. Fakhrul for his work promoting SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. His deep involvement in fostering mental wellness, social harmony, and cross-cultural understanding has made a lasting impact across South and East Asia. A native of Chandpur, Bangladesh, and now a proud naturalized citizen of China, residing in Hong Kong SAR, Dr. Fakhrul embodies the spirit of global citizenship. As a visionary leader, he has guided Talk Hope with compassion and strategic insight, helping the platform expand its reach among vulnerable youth, provide critical psychological support, and build a culture of empathy across communities. > 'Mental health is not a privilege—it is a fundamental human right. I am proud to support Talk Hope and the young changemakers behind it who are saving lives every day with courage and compassion,' said Dr. Fakhrul upon receiving the award. The Founder of Talk Hope, Md Saddam Hossain Roni, also shared heartfelt words following the announcement: > 'We feel immensely proud to see our Honourable Adviser, Dr. Fakhrul Islam Babu, receiving the Icons of Change International Award 2025. This recognition is not only a testament to his extraordinary vision and lifelong dedication to humanity, but also a source of inspiration for all of us at Talk Hope. His unwavering support has given strength to our mission, and his achievement reaffirms our belief that compassionate leadership can truly change lives.' Apart from his advocacy in mental health, Dr. Fakhrul is the Founder of the China-Bangladesh Friendship Center and Group Chairman of MEXIMCO, a multinational enterprise that exemplifies ethical business practices and South-South economic cooperation. Through job creation and inclusive trade across Bangladesh, China, India, and Hong Kong, he has demonstrated how business can be a powerful tool for social good. As President of Asian Club Limited and a key figure in the Hong Kong Association of Naturalized Chinese, he has long championed social integration, civic representation, and cultural diplomacy. His civic engagement includes serving as a District National Security Law Tutor, Area Committee Member, and Care Team volunteer in Hong Kong—evidence of his belief that civic responsibility is integral to social progress. A lifelong humanitarian, Dr. Fakhrul's association with Rotary International—where he has served in various leadership roles and earned distinctions such as Paul Harris Fellow, Major Donor, and Global Goodwill Ambassador—underscores his philosophy of 'Service Above Self.' He is also a life member of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, supporting communities during crises and calamities. Dr. Fakhrul's holistic approach to leadership—integrating faith, identity, commerce, and compassion—was especially praised by the award committee. His adoption of the Chinese name 孫逸仙 (Sun Yat-sen) serves as a personal homage to the values of reform, unity, and humanity. > 'Dr. Fakhrul Islam Babu is not only a patron of change—he is its architect. His support of Talk Hope is a testament to his belief that every life matters, and every youth deserves a future filled with dignity, hope, and purpose,' the official award citation read. In a time when mental health challenges continue to affect millions of young people, especially in developing nations, this international recognition highlights the urgent importance of compassionate leadership and cross-border solidarity. TIME BUSINESS NEWS


Boston Globe
3 hours ago
- Boston Globe
No meals, fainting nurses, dwindling baby formula: Starvation haunts Gaza hospitals
After months of warnings, international agencies, experts and doctors say starvation is now sweeping across Gaza amid restrictions on aid imposed by Israel for months. At least 56 Palestinians died this month of starvation in the territory, nearly half of the total of such deaths since the war began 22 months ago, according to data released Saturday by the Gaza Health Ministry. As starvation rises, medical institutions and staff, already struggling to treat war wounds and illness, are now grappling with rising cases of malnourishment. Advertisement Weak and dizzy, medics are passing out in the wards, where colleagues revive them with saline and glucose drips. Persistently short of basic tools such as antibiotics and painkillers, doctors are also running out of the special intravenous drips used to feed depleted patients. In all four hospitals, the doctors described how they are increasingly unable to save malnourished babies and are instead forced to simply manage their decline. The babies are too weak to be flooded with nutrients, which could overload their system and cause them to suffer 'refeeding syndrome,' which could kill them. Advertisement In some cases, the fluids that the doctors can safely give to the babies are not enough to prevent them from dying. 'I have seen ones that are imminently about to pass away,' said Dr. Ambereen Sleemi, an American surgeon who has been volunteering since early July at the Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza. The babies were brought to the hospital 'starving and malnourished,' Sleemi said in a phone interview Friday, 'and they haven't been able to get them back from the brink.' Dr. Nick Maynard, a British surgeon who volunteered at the same hospital until Wednesday, described the shock of seeing a skeletal infant who looked only days old, but was in fact 7 months. 'The expression 'skin and bones' doesn't do it justice,' Maynard said in a phone interview Friday. 'I saw the severity of malnutrition that I would not have thought possible in a civilized world. This is man-made starvation being used as a weapon of war and it will lead to many more deaths unless food and aid is let in immediately.' Asked for comment, COGAT, the Israeli military department that oversees aid to Gaza, said it 'continues to work in coordination with international actors to allow and facilitate the continued entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, in accordance with international law.' Late on Saturday night, the Israeli military began to drop airborne aid over northern Gaza, and said it would pause its military activity for several hours a day in key areas to make it easier to deliver aid by land. One-third of Palestinians in Gaza are forced to go without food for days in a row, the World Food Program said recently. Of the young children and pregnant women treated at clinics run by Doctors Without Borders in Gaza, roughly one-fourth are suffering from malnutrition, the medical aid group said last week. Advertisement Doctors say that many other people have likely died from different conditions and injuries that could have been cured or healed if the victims had not been so weakened by malnourishment. Starvation is causing more mothers to suffer miscarriages or give birth prematurely, to malnourished babies with weakened immune systems and medical abnormalities. 'The result is a rise in infections, dehydration and even immune collapse in infants,' said Dr. Hani al-Faleet, a pediatric consultant at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza. 'The immediate cause of death in some of these cases is simple: The baby doesn't get enough to eat, and neither does the mother.' Starvation has risen sharply since Israel's total blockade on food aid to Gaza between early March and late May, doctors and rights groups say. While Israel has since allowed food in, it introduced a new method of distribution that is flawed and dangerous, making it almost impossible for Palestinians to find food safely or affordably. Before March, food handouts were mainly distributed under a U.N.-led system from hundreds of points close to where people lived. Now, they are supplied from a handful of sites run by Israeli-backed private American contractors that, for most Palestinians in Gaza, can be reached only by walking for miles through Israeli military lines. Israeli soldiers have killed hundreds of people walking these routes, turning the daily search for food into a deadly trap. Advertisement Some food is still available from shops in Palestinian-run areas, but only at astronomic prices that are unaffordable to the largely unemployed civilian population. A kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, of flour costs up to $30, and a kilogram of tomatoes costs roughly $30; meat and rice are largely unavailable on the open market. That has forced many Palestinians to routinely choose between two often fatal options: risk death by starvation, or risk death by gunfire to reach food aid sites that are likely to have run out of supplies by the time many arrive. Israel publicly says the new aid system is necessary to prevent Hamas from stealing the aid. But Israeli military officials have acknowledged to The New York Times that they have no proof that Hamas has systematically stolen food supplied by the United Nations, the main provider of aid to Gaza during most of the war. Israel says that its soldiers have fired 'warning shots' to quell unrest along the roads leading to the aid sites. Maynard and Sleemi described injuries that indicated soldiers had systematically fired at people's torsos. Israel also blames the United Nations for failing to deliver enough food to alleviate the situation. Israel said Saturday that it had destroyed up to 100 truckloads of food in recent months because aid groups could not distribute the food before it passed its use-by date. U.N. officials say that Israeli restrictions have made it difficult to send convoys through an active war zone. The food shortages add another challenge to an already very difficult environment for doctors. 'Some staff members have collapsed in operating rooms. Others have fainted in emergency wards because they have not received any proper food,' said Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya, the director of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. 'The burden on them is immense.' Advertisement Salam Barghouth, a 3-month-old baby girl treated for malnutrition last week at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, is among the youngest Palestinians failed by the new aid distribution system. Her mother, Hanin Barghouth, 22, is too weak to walk to the new distribution sites. Her father, Akram Barghouth, 27, has never managed to reach the sites before the aid runs out, Hanin Barghouth said. Like most Palestinians, the parents are jobless, rely on donations from relatives and friends and said they survive mostly on falafel balls that cost roughly 10 times their prewar price. As a result, Barghouth regularly skips meals and says she has lost 29 pounds, a fifth of her body weight, since the start of the war. She cannot produce enough breast milk to feed Salam, who was born April 21, after Israel started the blockade. At Salam's birth, according to al-Faleet, her doctor, she weighed roughly 6.6 pounds. Three months later, she weighs only 8.8 -- at least 3 pounds underweight, the doctor said. 'I'm breastfeeding her as much as I can, and when I can't, I give her formula -- but that's only when I have it,' Barghouth said. She is reaching the end of a container of formula that she said cost roughly $120, approximately 2 1/2 times the amount it costs outside Gaza. 'She came into the world during a war,' Barghouth added, 'and I'm fighting every day to keep her alive in it.' While Salam Barghouth can still access medical support in central Gaza, other starving children farther to the north are struggling to find it because aid groups have found it harder to bring supplies to them. Advertisement One of them is Yazan Abu al-Foul, 2, a child living with his family in a damaged building beside a beach in Gaza City. His ribs, spine and hip bones jut from his body. An aunt, Riwaa Abu al-Foul, said Yazan's family cannot find enough food to feed him and hospital staff in his area have told them that they cannot provide him with inpatient care. 'They told us there is a shortage of materials and equipment,' Abu al-Foul said in a phone interview Saturday. Doctors at hospitals in northern, central and southern Gaza described similar hardships in interviews Friday and Saturday. 'There are no nutritional supplements, no vitamins, no premature infant formula, no amino acid intravenous solutions -- nothing,' Abu Salmiya said. 'Their bodies need these basics, and without them they will die.' This article originally appeared in


New York Post
6 hours ago
- New York Post
Viral images of starving Gaza boy don't tell the whole story because he suffers from genetic disorders, critics say
A horrifically emaciated Palestinian child held up by news outlets as the face of starvation in Gaza actually suffers from genetic and other disorders, which much of the coverage glossed over, according to critics. The heart-rending photo of Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq made the rounds on outlets including the New York Times, NBC News, The Guardian, BBC and others as evidence that Israel's war against Hamas has led to the starvation of children in the Palestinian enclave. But pro-Israel group HonestReporting first spotted something the outlets either didn't notice or outright ignored: the boy's older brother, Joud, standing in the background looking like he was in much better condition. Advertisement 5 Palestinian child Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq being held by his mother in Gaza City on July 21, 2025. Photo by Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-arini/Anadolu via Getty Images 5 A photo of Muhammad went viral last week as alleged evidence of starvation in Gaza. Photo by Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-arini/Anadolu via Getty Images In a video segment, CNN said Muhammad's own mother revealed that he suffers from a 'muscle disorder' for which he receives specialized nutrition and physical therapy, saying he was 'happy' and able to 'sit upright' when they were provided. Advertisement Pro-Israel journalist David Collier said little Muhammad has 'cerebral palsy, hypoxemia, and was born with a serious genetic disorder,' citing a May 2025 medical report from Gaza. In viral photos, taken on July 22 by Turkey's state-owned Anadolu news agency, Muhammad's spine protrudes from his tiny back as his mother cradles him in her arms. The BBC interviewed the image's photographer, Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim al-Arini, who suggested the photo was representative of the widespread starvation that has taken hold in the Gaza Strip. 5 Muhammad suffers from genetic disorders and other issues including cerebral palsy and hypoxemia, according to a report. Photo by Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-arini/Anadolu via Getty Images Advertisement 5 Muhammad's mother told CNN that he has a 'muscle disorder' that requires physical therapy and specialized nutrition. Photo by Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-arini/Anadolu via Getty Images The Guardian captioned a photo of Muhammad as 'facing life-threatening malnutrition,' while the UK's Daily Express described it as 'a horrifying image encapsulating the 'maelstrom of human misery' gripping Gaza.' The Israeli Foreign Ministry says it has allowed around 4,500 aid trucks into Gaza since lifting a blockade in May, and that 700 more are waiting to be picked up by the UN. A UN report earlier this month asserted that that 9% of children screened at health clinics across Gaza are suffering from severe malnutrition — a sharp rise from the 6% found in June. Advertisement 5 The image's photographer Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim al-Arini told the BBC Muhammad represents the situation in Gaza. Anadolu via Getty Images The Hamas-controlled health ministry claims that 20 children have died from malnutrition related causes in the last three weeks. The United Nations has also accused Israel of choking the flow of aid and making Israeli and US-backed aid efforts dangerous for civilians. Palestinians blame Israel for the sluggish pace of deliveries, but the Jewish state has repeatedly retorted that its efforts to allow aid to flow into Gaza must be carefully controlled so Hamas fighters don't intercept the shipments. On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces said it will be initiating a 'local tactical pause' in military activity to allow more aid to get into Gaza, but that distributing food within Gaza 'lies with the UN and international aid organizations' who they say must 'ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas.'