Starvation is 'knocking on every door' in Gaza, as deaths from malnutrition soar

ITV News

7 days ago

Over 100 people have died within days of each other from starvation in Gaza, according to health officials, as experts warn that one in four are facing famine-like conditions.
Gaza's Health Ministry said on Tuesday that 101 people, including 80 children, had died in recent days from starvation.
The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, did not provide precise diagnoses, but people in hunger crises often die from a combination of malnutrition, illness and deprivation.
The figures come as the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres warned that starvation is 'knocking on every door' in Gaza, as he called the situation a "horror show".
Gaza's population is estimated to be around 2.1 million.
World Food Programme assessments indicate that a quarter of the population is facing famine-like conditions, with almost 100,000 women and children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, and requiring treatment as soon as possible.
A third of Gaza's population is estimated not go without food for multiple days in a row.
Speaking at the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, Guterres said: "We need look no further than the horror show in Gaza. In the level of death and destruction without parallel in recent times.
"Malnourishment is soaring. Starvation is knocking on every door. Now we are seeing the last gasp of a humanitarian system built on humanitarian principles.
"Around the world, we see an utter disregard for, if not (an) outright violation of, international law."
UN officials, aid groups and experts have warned for months that Palestinians in Gaza are on the brink of famine, although difficulties with obtaining precise data have made agencies unable to decipher if they are already experiencing one.
Israel eased an 11-week blockade on aid getting into the territory in May, but aid groups say only a trickle of assistance is getting into Gaza.
The distribution of aid has been complicated by a controversial Israeli-backed US-run contractor called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), and a breakdown of law and order within the territory.
Over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed trying to receive aid since the blockade was lifted, according to the UN human rights office.
The majority of these have been in the vicinity of GHF sites, where 766 are reported to have been killed.
The other deaths were around UN convoys or other aid sites.
Witnesses to killings around aid sites often attribute them to Israeli fire, although Israeli forces state they have only fired warning shots around distribution areas.
In a statement, GHF rejected what it said were 'false and exaggerated statistics' from the UN, saying the deadliest incidents have been linked to UN aid convoys.
On Monday, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and his counterparts from 24 other nations, including France, Canada and Australia, urged Israel to lift restrictions on the flow of aid into Gaza in a joint statement, condemning the current aid model.
He alleged a culture of 'just winging it' and said he was left 'traumatised' by some of what he witnessed.
In a statement to ITV News, the GHF rejected the claims made by the contractor, adding: "It is an active war zone in Gaza. It's also one of the most complex operating environments in the world. The legacy models of aid delivery have failed to adequately meet the overwhelming needs of the population.
"That's why GHF exists and why we are committed to constant innovation to meet President Trump's call for new, effective ways to get aid into Gaza while the UN's trucks get looted and overrun and their aid is not making it into the strip."
Analysis of UN data by the charity Islamic Relief found that July has been the deadliest month in Gaza for 18 months, with one person dying every 12 minutes.
The charity found that, on average, 119 Palestinians have been killed daily in July, the highest rate since January 2024, and more than 401 Palestinians a day have been wounded.
Waseem Ahmad, Chief Executive of Islamic Relief Worldwide, says world leaders must urgently take action.'The rate of killing is accelerating every day that world leaders fail to act," he said.
"We are witnessing people massacred just for trying to get food, water or medicine. We're seeing babies and young children starve to death because Israel is blocking humanitarian aid.
"We're seeing starving families ordered to leave their homes, then bombed in the tents where they are told to shelter."
Islamic Relief estimates that, in total, around 9% of Gaza's entire pre-war population have now been killed or wounded, with over 59,000 people dead and over 140,000 wounded - many with life-changing injuries such as loss of limbs.