Gaza Herald — In a displacement tent near a UNRWA clinic in Khan Younis, five-year-old Tala Zidan is growing up deprived of the physical development expected for a child her age. Her father, Tahrir Zidan, watches helplessly as his youngest daughter remains severely underweight and noticeably stunted, with no change in her height or weight for months due to the ongoing, artificial blockade on essential nutrition.
Tala is the only daughter in a family forcibly displaced from Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis. For nearly two months, her father brought her to Nasser Medical Complex, where doctors diagnosed her with severe acute malnutrition and stunted growth, referring her to urgent therapeutic nutritional care. However, sustaining treatment is nearly impossible under a total siege that deprives families of basic sustenance.
Zidan lives with his wife and three children in a flimsy tent after losing his daily work and sole source of income to the relentless military campaign. The family now relies entirely on meager meals distributed by local community kitchens. Essential items needed for Tala’s recovery, such as fresh fruit, vegetables, and protein-rich food, are unavailable or priced far out of reach because aid flows are restricted.
Tala is not the only child in the household bearing the physical scars of the ongoing assault. Her nine-year-old brother, Qais, suffered from severe physical weakness, while another brother developed hydrocephalus following a traumatic head injury sustained when the family’s home in Bani Suheila was bombed by Israeli forces.
When a Child’s Growth Begins to Falter Under Siege
At the therapeutic nutrition clinic at Nasser Medical Complex, Dr. Israa Al-Najjar, head of the therapeutic nutrition department, monitors a growing number of children suffering from severe developmental and nutritional crises brought on by the blockade.
Dr. Al-Najjar explains that stunted growth is diagnosed by comparing a child’s height against international standards based on age and sex, using growth charts to measure how far the child falls below healthy development ranges. While growth failure can occasionally stem from genetic factors or hormonal disorders, the overwhelming surge in local cases is driven directly by acute malnutrition, prolonged starvation, and maternal deprivation.
Since systematic monitoring of these cases began in May, the clinic has documented an alarming rise in children suffering from severe growth defects. According to Al-Najjar, the clinic receives between two and 11 malnourished children every day, recording dozens of critical cases each month.
The crisis extends far beyond stunted height. Children arriving at the facility suffer from severe wasting, extreme underweight conditions, advanced anemia, and critical micronutrient deficiencies. Moreover, newborns are increasingly being delivered at dangerously low birth weights, a direct reflection of the severe nutritional deprivation forced upon pregnant mothers under the siege.
Irreversible Damage Caused by Prolonged Starvation
The physical and cognitive consequences of starvation are particularly devastating during early childhood, when a child’s brain, bones, and vital organs undergo rapid development. Prolonged nutritional deprivation can cause permanent physical stunting and long-term cognitive impairment, depending on its severity and duration. While early medical intervention before puberty can help reverse some growth deficits, the window for recovery rapidly closes as artificial starvation persists.
Standard treatment at the clinic begins with baseline measurements: evaluating height, weight, and mid-upper arm circumference to track wasting. Depending on the severity, children are prescribed therapeutic milk, concentrated micronutrient supplements, and specialized diets rich in protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. Severe cases are referred to pediatric endocrinologists to assess deeper organ stress caused by prolonged deprivation.
However, even when medical staff identify a child’s exact needs, delivering care remains an uphill battle. The systematic blockade of medical supplies and therapeutic supplements severely disrupts treatment protocols. At the same time, displaced families stripped of their livelihoods cannot afford the specialized food required to prevent their children from slipping back into critical malnutrition.
A Child’s Growth Is Not Measured in Numbers Alone
For Tala’s father, the human toll of this engineered famine cannot be reduced to statistical charts or clinical measurements. He longs to see his daughter grow and play healthily like other children. Still, forced displacement, the destruction of his livelihood, and the deliberate restriction of life-saving aid have left him unable to protect his children from the physical toll of siege. A medical diagnosis alone cannot save these young lives without an immediate end to the blockade and the unhindered entry of vital food and medical aid to Gaza’s starving population.
