Gaza Herald- Five more Palestinians, including two children, have died in Gaza in the past 24 hours as a result of severe malnutrition, bringing the total number of deaths linked to Israel’s starvation policy to 193 since the war began in October 2023, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. At least 96 of the victims are children.
The most recent deaths happened as food, water, and medical supplies are still in extremely low supply and aid trucks are not allowed to enter in large enough quantities.
A medical source at Al-Shifa Hospital confirmed that among the recent deaths were two children and one adult, all succumbing to hunger-related complications.
Despite international outcry, the blockade continues to throttle humanitarian lifelines. On Tuesday, only 84 aid trucks were allowed into Gaza, well below the 600-truck daily minimum needed to meet basic needs.
Most of the limited aid that did make it in was reportedly looted due to the ongoing breakdown in security, exacerbated by Israel’s destruction of civil order.
Over the past 10 days, just 853 aid trucks entered the territory, far short of the 6,000 that should have reached Gaza to cover emergency needs, according to the Government Media Office.
“The crime of systematic starvation continues,” the media office said in a statement, holding Israel and its allies fully responsible for what it called an escalating humanitarian disaster affecting over 2.4 million people.
The statement urged the international community and Arab nations to intervene to secure the permanent reopening of crossings and ensure the unimpeded delivery of food, medical supplies, and infant formula.
International agencies are sounding the alarm. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) warned that one in seven newborns in Gaza now requires intensive care to survive, with hospitals struggling under shortages and siege conditions.
“Mothers and babies in Gaza are being left to a deadly fate,” the agency said.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also noted that starvation, disease, and lack of care are driving up the death toll, underscoring the urgent need for a ceasefire and full humanitarian access.
