DaysofPal – The death toll from hunger in Gaza continues to climb as Israel’s nearly two-year war on the enclave grinds on, combining relentless bombardment with an engineered blockade that has pushed the population to the brink of famine.
Palestinians are now dying not only from airstrikes and sniper fire at so-called aid centers, but also from the very aid drops meant to save them, heavy boxes plummeting from the sky onto crowds desperate for food.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that at least 11 Palestinians died of starvation in the past 24 hours alone, bringing the total number of deaths from hunger since the start of the war to 212, including 98 children. Officials warn that the situation has entered an unprecedented phase, with Israel accused of turning starvation into a deliberate weapon of war.
One of the latest victims was a child, Muhannad Zakaria Eid, killed when an aid box dropped from the air struck him in the western part of the Nuseirat camp. Gaza’s Government Media Office says at least 23 people have died and 124 others have been injured by falling aid since October 2023.
It condemned the practice of dropping aid into occupied areas, where desperate Palestinians risk being directly targeted. It demanded that humanitarian supplies be delivered safely and in adequate quantities through land crossings.
The Interior Ministry in Gaza said these airdrops, coordinated by Israel with the involvement of several countries, have not only caused deaths and injuries but also destroyed tents and belongings of displaced families. The ministry accused Israel of exploiting the operation to promote chaos as part of a wider policy of enforced starvation tied to the ongoing genocide.
“This is a dangerous indicator,” warned Dr. Munir al-Barsh, Director General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, referring to the 11 starvation deaths in just one day.
“Israel has moved from starvation to engineering famine in its treatment of the Strip.” He said the aid that reached Gaza in recent days was less than 5 percent of the territory’s actual needs and described the health system as on the verge of complete collapse.
Dr. Muhammad Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, warned that starvation and malnutrition were rapidly eroding the immunity of children, women, and the elderly, leaving them vulnerable to disease and death.
In the Nuseirat camp, Al-Awda Hospital’s medical director, Yasser Shaban, said roughly 80 percent of children admitted to the facility are suffering from starvation and severe malnutrition, a figure he described as catastrophic for a population already devastated by war.
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