Photos: Gaza's worsening starvation crisis
The hunger that has been building among Gaza's more than two million Palestinians has passed a tipping point and is accelerating deaths, aid workers and health staff say.
Not only Palestinian children – usually the most vulnerable – are falling victim to Israel's blockade since March, but also adults.
The United Nations' World Food Programme says nearly 100,000 women and children urgently need treatment for malnutrition, and almost a third of people in Gaza are 'not eating for days'. Medical workers say they have run out of many key treatments and medicines.
The World Health Organization reports a sharp rise in malnutrition and disease, with a large proportion of Gaza's residents now starving.
Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, says a quarter of all young children and pregnant or breastfeeding women screened at its clinics in Gaza last week were malnourished, blaming Israel's 'deliberate use of starvation as a weapon'.
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Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Palestinian newborns starving in Gaza as infant formula runs out
Palestinian mothers in the Gaza Strip are desperately trying to feed their newborns as Israel's punishing blockade on the besieged enclave has led to dire shortages of infant formula, with some resorting to filling bottles with water and whatever food they can find. Dr Kahlil Daqran told Al Jazeera on Thursday that as supplies of formula run out, many mothers are often too malnourished to breastfeed their infants. 'In the Gaza Strip, we have thousands of children being starved because there is no milk for children under the age of two,' Daqran said. 'These children, their mothers also have malnutrition because there is no food, so the mothers cannot produce milk. Now, our children are being fed either water or ground hard legumes, and this is harmful for children in Gaza.' Azhar Imad, 31, said she has mixed tahini with water in hopes of feeding four-month-old Joury. But she said she fears the mixture will make her baby sick. 'I am using this paste instead of milk, but she won't drink it. All these can cause illnesses,' Imad said. 'Sometimes, I give her water in the bottle; there's nothing available. I make her caraway and herbs, any kind of herbs.' Israel's blockade on Gaza, which has been under Israeli military bombardment since October 2023, has led to critical shortages of food, water, medicine and other humanitarian supplies. Local hospitals said on Thursday that at least two more deaths from Israel's forced starvation were reported in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of hunger-related fatalities since Israel's war began to 159, including 90 children. The United Nations has warned that Palestinian children are especially vulnerable as hunger grips the coastal territory, and UN officials have repeatedly called on Israel to allow an uninterrupted flow of aid supplies. Israel has blamed the UN for the starvation crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip, saying the global body had failed to pick up supplies. UN officials, and several nations, have rejected that claim as false and stressed that Israel has refused to offer safe routes for humanitarian agencies to transport aid into Gaza. Airdrops of humanitarian supplies, carried out in recent days, have also done little to address the widespread hunger crisis. Experts denounced the effort as dangerous, costly and ineffective. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, told reporters on Thursday that the UN and its partners 'continue to seize every opportunity to collect supplies from the Israeli-controlled crossings and replenish those platforms with new supplies'. 'Our colleagues say that, despite Israeli announcements regarding the designation of convoy routes as secure, trucks continue to face long delays that expose drivers, aid workers, and crowds to danger,' Haq said. 'The long waits are because a single route has been made available for our teams exiting Kerem Shalom [Karem Abu Salem crossing] inside Gaza, and Israeli ground forces have set up an ad hoc checkpoint on that route.' As starvation continues to grip Gaza, more Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military while seeking aid at distribution sites operated by the controversial Israeli- and United States-backed GHF. A source at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital told Al Jazeera that at least 23 people were killed after Israeli forces opened fire at them on Thursday morning as they waited for aid near Netzarim junction in central Gaza. The deadly incident came just hours before the White House announced that US President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee are expected to enter Gaza on Friday to inspect the aid distribution sites. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the US officials also would meet with Palestinians to 'hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground'. Reporting from the Jordan capital, Amman, Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh explained that the trip comes amid growing concern in Washington that US contractors may be found liable for the deaths of more than 1,000 Palestinians killed while trying to reach GHF sites since May. 'There is a lot of pressure and insistence in Israel that those sites must continue to operate even if Israel allows more aid into Gaza,' Odeh said. 'This organisation was set up to bypass the United Nations, and Israel is not ready to let it go despite the resistance from the international community to engage with it in any way because it is accused of violating humanitarian principles.' Hamas said in a statement released via its Telegram channel late on Thursday that it is ready to 'immediately' engage in negotiations to end the war in Gaza 'once aid reaches those who deserve it and the humanitarian crisis and famine in Gaza are ended'. Meanwhile, in Gaza, countless families continue to face a desperate search for food. Nehma Hamouda said she has struggled to keep her three-month-old granddaughter, Muntaha, alive amid the shortage of infant formula. Muntaha's mother was shot by Israeli soldiers when she was pregnant. She gave birth to her daughter prematurely but died weeks later. 'I resort to tea for the girl,' said Hamouda, explaining that her granddaughter cannot process solid foods yet. 'She's not eating, and there's no sugar. Where can I get her sugar? I give her a bit [of anise], and she drinks a bit,' she said. 'At times, when we get lentil soup from the soup kitchen, I strain the water, and I try to feed her. What can I do?'
Al Jazeera
4 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Inside Israel's role in the killings at Gaza's food aid sites
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US nonprofit backed by the US and Israel, was set up earlier this year to provide humanitarian aid in Gaza. Its aid distribution got under way in May, following a prolonged halt in supply deliveries to the enclave. But according to the UN, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed trying to access food at the GHF aid hubs. Starving and beleaguered Palestinians in Gaza have no choice but to walk several miles to collect much-needed food packages from the four heavily militarised hubs. Palestinian medics and civilians told Al Jazeera that GHF and Israeli troops have routinely opened fire on the aid seekers, killing dozens at a time. Harrowing accounts have been corroborated by video evidence, whistleblowers and Israeli soldiers, and the killings have fuelled international outcry – including condemnations from heads of state, UN agencies and human rights groups. Who is responsible for the killings? Mainly Israeli troops, but mercenaries working for the GHF are also implicated, according to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, which documents atrocities against Palestinians. Euro-Med also alleges that Israeli forces have enabled Palestinian gangs to loot aid convoys and terrorise civilians. A retired United States special forces officer, Anthony Aguilar, who was formerly employed by the GHF, recently disclosed some of the brutal treatment Palestinians face at aid sites. 'Without question, I witnessed war crimes by the [Israeli military],' Aguilar told the BBC in an exclusive interview. How are the Palestinians being killed? Doctors and survivors in Gaza say that Israel often uses snipers to aim directly at Palestinian aid seekers. Dr Fadel Naeem said he frequently treats survivors in the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City and that most of the gunshot wounds he sees are to the 'head, chest and abdomen'. He noted that Israel also appears to fire indiscriminately at starving Palestinians, sometimes firing tear gas, explosives or artillery shells at large crowds. These attacks often cause serious burns, as well as flesh and shrapnel wounds. 'There is often severe tissue tearing … and many [of the injured] end up with amputated limbs,' said Dr Naeem. Other Palestinians sustain fractures and broken bones, typically by being trampled in the mad rush to flee Israeli gunfire or obtain a bag of food aid. Dr Hassan al-Shaer, who works in al-Shifa Hospital, also says many of the injuries are serious. 'Many of the [injured] victims that come to us also have life-threatening wounds, and they are taken to the operating room immediately,' he told Al Jazeera. What excuse does Israel give for these killings? Israel officially denies firing at Palestinians and frequently claims that its troops only fire 'warning shots' outside GHF distribution hubs to prevent overcrowding. The Israeli army also says 'chaos' at the sites poses an 'immediate threat' to army soldiers. Yet, according to a news report published by the Israeli daily Haaretz on June 27, Israeli troops pose the real threat. Many soldiers who served in Gaza admitted that they were 'ordered to shoot' directly at Palestinian aid seekers by their superiors. 'Where I was stationed, between one and five people were killed every day. They're treated like a hostile force – no crowd-control measures, no tear gas – just live fire with everything imaginable: heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars,' one soldier told Haaretz. 'It's a killing field,' he added. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Katz both deny the allegations and claim that they amount to 'blood libel' against Israel, meaning they equate it to a false and anti-Semitic accusation that Jewish people murder Christian children to use their blood in religious rituals. Does medical evidence on the ground support Israel's official narrative? No, accounts from doctors in Gaza hospitals and clinics do not support Israel's claim. Dr Shaer, from al-Shifa, noted that many of the injured people started coming into the hospital when the GHF began aid distribution in late May. Injuries are often compounded with illnesses and weak immune systems, effects brought on by starvation in Gaza. Hakeem Yahiya Mansour, a 30-year-old Palestinian emergency medic in Gaza, added 'death always happens' at GHF sites. 'Most of the calls we get are from the surroundings [of the distribution zones],' he told Al Jazeera. What do the GHF sites look like? Footage of the sites shows thousands of starving Palestinians crowded onto a strip of land roughly the size of a football field, according to Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF. Aid seekers are surrounded by guard towers and are often forced to fight for food parcels that are tossed to hungry crowds at poorly arranged and chaotic distribution points. Tanks are often stationed nearby, and aid seekers can hear the terrifying buzzing of drones above them. According to satellite imagery obtained by Al Jazeera's verification unit, Sanad, Palestinians have little space to manoeuvre or receive aid. Despite the dangers, Palestinians face an impossible choice: die from gunfire or starvation. Many chose to accept the risk and go for aid in the hope of obtaining food for their families and small children. Mohanad Shaaban said he did not eat for three days, pushing him to head to the GHF site on July 30. He remembers seeing two tanks at the site – one on the right and a second on the left. 'The [Israelis] then opened fire on us,' he recalled solemnly. 'Please tell the world to end this famine,' Shaaban said. How is the world responding? Harrowing scenes and images of Palestinians dying of hunger and being killed at GHF aid sites have compelled some of Israel's allies to issue stern condemnations and ultimatums. France, Germany and the United Kingdom recently issued a statement urging Israel to scale up life-saving aid. What's more, France has taken the symbolic step of recognising a Palestinian state, which the UK also threatened to do, unless Israel ends the 'appalling situation' in Gaza and commits to the 'two-state' solution. Canada has also said it will recognise a Palestinian state in September.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
More than 70 aid seekers killed as starvation worsens in Gaza
Israeli attacks have killed at least 71 Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid amid a deepening hunger crisis in Gaza, medical sources told Al Jazeera, as hospitals in the besieged territory recorded seven more deaths from famine and malnutrition. At least 51 people were killed and more than 648 others were wounded by Israeli forces on Wednesday as they were heading towards the Zikim crossing point for aid trucks entering northern Gaza, according to the Gaza Government Media Office. Another 20 people seeking aid were killed near the so-called Morag Corridor near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the Nasser Medical Complex reported. More than 1,000 Palestinians seeking aid have been killed by Israeli forces near aid distribution sites run by the US and Israeli-backed GHF, which launched operations in late May. The GHF has been heavily criticised by the UN and other humanitarian organisations for failing to provide enough aid and for the dire security situation at and around its aid distribution sites. The attacks come as aid agencies and health officials warn of a sharp rise in starvation, particularly among children and the elderly. The Gaza Health Ministry said 154 people, including 89 children, have died of malnutrition, most in recent weeks. A global hunger monitor said on Tuesday that a famine scenario is unfolding. Among those struggling to survive is Jihan al-Quraan, a mother who spoke to Al Jazeera while holding her young daughter. 'Look at her stomach! There is no flesh, just bones from the lack of food – an entire month without bread,' she said. Al-Quraan said she tried to get food at a crowded soup kitchen, but returned empty-handed. 'I only found some dry pasta shells on the floor,' she added. Despite mounting needs, aid entering Gaza remains far below required levels. Adnan Abu Hasna, a spokesman for UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, told Al Jazeera Arabic that the trickle of aid allowed into Gaza 'does not reach the majority of the population'. According to the UN, Gaza needs at least 500 to 600 aid trucks per day to meet basic humanitarian needs. Yet, only 269 trucks have entered the territory over the past four days. 'Most of them were looted by hungry crowds,' reported Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum from Gaza. 'Now, looting aid is not very shocking. It has been a predictable outcome for a prolonged period of a starving population that has been denied access to water, food and medical supplies.' 'People have gone days without getting any kind of food,' he added. 'The number of trucks sent to the Gaza Strip falls short of meeting the needs of the population.' The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said it had documented the deaths of dozens of elderly people in displacement camps 'due to starvation, malnutrition, or lack of treatment'. 'Many of these deaths were recorded as natural causes, owing to the absence of a clear reporting mechanism within the ministry and the tendency of families to bury their loved ones immediately,' the group said in a statement on X. It added that hospitals and primary care centres have seen an 'unprecedented surge' in daily deaths over the past two weeks, with hundreds of elderly people arriving in 'states of extreme exhaustion, seeking nutritional fluids'. Israeli bombardment continues At least 15 other people were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza on Wednesday, medical sources told Al Jazeera. That includes the minimum three people, including Palestinian photojournalist Ibrahim Mahmoud Hajjaj, 35, were killed in two separate Israeli air strikes in Gaza City. One strike targeted a group of people near az-Zahra School in the central Daraj neighbourhood, killing two and wounding others. A second strike in eastern Gaza City killed Hajjaj. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 178 journalists have been killed during Israel's war on Gaza since October 7. Since the war began, Israeli attacks have killed at least 60,138 Palestinians and wounded more than 146,000 others, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, and more than 200 others were taken captive. Gaza annexation threat Meanwhile, an Israeli minister hinted at the possibility of annexing parts of Gaza – a move that could any remaining hopes of a two-state solution and further entrench Israel's occupation in violation of international law. Accusing Hamas of trying to drag out ceasefire talks to gain Israeli concessions, security cabinet member Zeev Elkin told public broadcaster Kan that Israel may give the group an ultimatum to reach a deal before further expanding its military actions. 'The most painful thing for our enemy is losing lands,' he said. 'A clarification to Hamas that the moment they play games with us they will lose land that they will never get back would be a significant pressure tool.' The remarks came just days after Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said the Israeli government is 'advancing the destruction of Gaza'. 'The government is racing ahead for Gaza to be wiped out,' Eliyahu told Haredi radio station Kol Barama. 'Thank God, we are wiping out this evil. We are pushing this population that has been educated on 'Mein Kampf',' he said, referring to the 1925 autobiographical and political work by Adolf Hitler, the leader of Germany's Nazi Party. Eliyahu's comments drew widespread outrage, including from within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's own coalition. However, Israeli media reports suggest the government is preparing a formal ultimatum to Hamas: agree to their terms of a ceasefire or face the annexation of territory. Israel's Channel 13 reported that Israel may seek to annex land adjacent to the Gaza perimeter fence, pushing up to one kilometre inside the Strip. These threats come as negotiations continue between Hamas and Israel, with mediation from the United States, Qatar and Egypt. Channel 12 reported that Israel has proposed a 60-day ceasefire that would include a partial withdrawal of troops from Gaza, but not an end to the war. A US official confirmed that special envoy Steve Witkoff would travel to Israel on Thursday to discuss 'next steps' to address the situation. Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump said he expected centres to be set up to feed more people inside Gaza. But for many Palestinians on the ground, those promises remain far removed from the daily fight for survival.
