DaysofPal – Dr. Ahmad Al-Farra, Head of Pediatrics and Maternity at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, has issued a dire warning: infant formula has not entered the Gaza Strip in over four months—neither through the healthcare system, the private sector, nor international organizations—resulting in a total depletion of critical supplies.
In a press statement, Dr. Al-Farra revealed that 25 infants are currently in the neonatal unit at Nasser Medical Complex, all of whom are suffering due to the absence of types 1 and 2 formula, along with specialized formulas needed for premature babies.
“We have reached zero hour,” he said. “Without immediate intervention, the lives of premature and newborn children are at risk in the next 48 hours.”
He called on all relevant authorities and humanitarian bodies to exert pressure on the Israeli authorities to allow infant formula into Gaza immediately.
UNICEF has also sounded the alarm, noting that children undergoing treatment for malnutrition are now in grave danger. Since March 18, 2025, 21 nutrition treatment centers—15% of Gaza’s outpatient facilities—have been shut down due to Israeli evacuation orders or direct bombardment.
This closure has left about 350 children without access to essential nutritional treatment, placing their lives at imminent risk of worsening malnutrition.
UNICEF further warned that supplementary infant foods, crucial for child development amid food shortages, have been entirely depleted in central and southern Gaza. Only enough ready-to-use infant formula remains to support 400 children for one month.
The agency estimates that nearly 10,000 infants under six months old require supplementary feeding. With no access to formula, many families are forced to resort to unsafe substitutes mixed with contaminated water, compounding the health risks.
Due to the ongoing war, genocide, and mass displacement, UNICEF has also been forced to scale back mental health services, psychosocial support, mine risk education, and child protection case management.
According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, Israel is deliberately committing mass starvation by maintaining a total blockade of Gaza’s border crossings. Over the past two months, no humanitarian aid has been allowed in, with more than 18,600 aid trucks and 1,550 fuel trucks blocked, and over 60 food kitchens and aid distribution centers bombed.
The unfolding crisis threatens to result in preventable deaths of infants and children in the coming hours and days unless immediate humanitarian access is restored.
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