Starving Children ‘Hunted for Food, US Doctor in Gaza Warns

Days of Palestine

3 days ago

DaysofPal – A US doctor working in Gaza has delivered a harrowing account of starvation, deadly violence, and the collapse of basic life in the besieged enclave, calling the situation 'absolutely unacceptable' and urging the world to intervene.
Dr. Cooper, who has been in Gaza for only three days, described scenes that he said are beyond imagination, with children as young as five collapsing from hunger.
'I've seen children in the emergency room passing out from lack of food,' he said. 'They are completely famished—those with chronic illnesses, heart conditions, and neurological issues are in life-threatening conditions. This is absolutely unacceptable.'
The doctor said basic food items have become prohibitively expensive, with a kilogram of meat or sugar selling for around \$100. Even medical staff, including pediatricians, are enduring acute hunger, surviving on minimal meals for days.
'People are saying that there's food here, why the price is so incredibly high and there's such a scarcity of food. This is just absolutely unacceptable. Definitely not true,' Dr. Cooper said. 'I've seen starving children with my own eyes.'
He extended a direct challenge to Steve Witkoff, the representative of former U.S. President Donald Trump, to come to Gaza and witness the reality himself.
'I would like to invite apparently Mr. Witcoff is going to be here not too far away…I would invite him to come here and see for himself what's happening here,' he said.
'I'll meet him in person and I'll show him into the hospital. I would say this is so unacceptable in this day and age… I've seen that also with my own eyes.'
Dr. Cooper also recounted the human toll of Israel's ongoing military offensive, including an 11-year-old boy who was paralyzed by a gunshot while searching for food for his family.
'The trauma bay is full of casualties… I got blood on my shoes right now because we walked through the trauma bay,' he said. 'Why 11- and 12-year-old boys are being shot with these powerful weapons is beyond comprehension. And that also drives the starvation because these kids are going to get food for their families. This is barbaric. It's a crime scene.'
Gaza's hunger crisis is worsening at a catastrophic pace. Since October 2023, at least 163 people—93 of them children—have died from starvation, according to health officials. Israel's 18-year blockade and the total closure of border crossings since March 2 have pushed food supplies to the brink.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has warned that famine is 'playing out in real time' in Gaza, while the enclave's health system has nearly collapsed under the strain of mass malnutrition, contaminated water, and untreated diseases.
Dr. Cooper said malnourished children are dying not just from hunger, but from waterborne illnesses and infections that cannot be treated.
'Undernourished and lacking nutrients, vitamins… They're also thirsty. There's no water. And the water they have is of poor quality. There's a massive amount of diarrhea, fevers, infectious diseases—some we can't even diagnose because we lack medical facilities,' he said.
He gave one of his most chilling warnings about children being targeted while searching for food.
'Young teenagers are going to fetch food and are being shot at. They're being literally hunted down. They're hunted dead,' he said.
Despite repeated international calls for a ceasefire, Israel's assault continues. Gaza health authorities report more than 60,000 Palestinians killed since October, most of them women and children.
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