DaysofPal- As Gaza enters its third month of total siege, the crisis of child malnutrition has reached catastrophic levels, threatening the lives of over one million children. Once vibrant and full of life, children across the Strip are now skeletal, their frail bodies reduced to “as light as a feather,” as described by desperate parents and overwhelmed doctors.
The humanitarian crisis worsened dramatically after March 2, when the Israeli occupation imposed a complete closure of all Gaza crossings, halting the entry of food, medicine, fuel, and other vital supplies. The move came amid an ongoing war that has ravaged the region for more than 17 months.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 57 children have already died from malnutrition and related complications since the new restrictions began. Aid agencies and medical workers warn that this number is set to rise dramatically unless immediate action is taken.
“Children Who Cannot Move”
Seven-year-old Mai Abu Arar is among the hundreds of children hospitalized for severe protein deficiency. Her mother, Nadia, cares for her at Friends of the Sick Hospital in Gaza City, where Mai lies motionless, too weak to eat or speak. “Her body began to swell, and she lost all strength,” her mother told Sanad News Agency. After weeks of fatigue and lack of appetite, a doctor confirmed Mai was suffering from acute malnutrition due to the unavailability of protein-rich foods like meat, chicken, and eggs.
With markets empty and crossings sealed, Mai survives on peanut butter, lentils, rice, or the occasional tomato — if available. “I am afraid to hold her,” her mother said. “She feels like she might break.”
Displaced, Starved, and Neglected
Elias Al-Zaq, age four, is another victim of the hunger crisis. After his family was displaced to Deir al-Balah, his condition briefly improved during a short-lived ceasefire when food aid entered Gaza. But since hostilities resumed and crossings closed, Elias’s health has deteriorated again. “I can’t find potatoes or zucchini for him,” his mother said, adding that the family now survives on canned food from charities, often expired or lacking nutritional value.
Six-year-old Farah, who weighs just seven kilograms, vomits up anything she eats. “My daughter is fading before my eyes,” her mother sobbed. Farah already has a hernia and has undergone several operations. “People mock her frail body,” her mother said tearfully, describing how visible bones have made her daughter a target for bullying.
“We See These Cases Every Day”
Susan Maarouf, a nutritionist at Friends of the Patients Hospital, said her team has documented over 12,000 malnutrition cases since March. “Every day we examine at least 200 children,” she told Sanad. Of these, 700 suffer from moderate malnutrition, while 100 are classified as severe cases requiring constant monitoring or hospitalization.
Nutritional supplements like peanut butter or fortified biscuits are now the only available treatments, but for many children, such interventions come too late or are too limited.
Dr. Jamil Suleiman, director of Al-Nasr-Al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital, painted a grim picture. “If the blockade continues, we will see a sharp rise in child mortality,” he warned. With no access to milk, meat, or basic medicines, children are increasingly suffering from anemia and deficiencies in critical minerals and salts. “This will stunt their growth and impair their mental development long-term,” he said.
A Generational Health Collapse
According to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, over one million children in Gaza are now suffering from various degrees of malnutrition. The near-total collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system — due to bombardment, blockade, and the absence of fuel and equipment — has left families with nowhere to turn.
Human rights organizations, pediatric specialists, and UN agencies have repeatedly urged the Israeli occupation’s government to lift the blockade and allow food and medicine to enter the Strip without conditions. But as the war grinds on, aid remains scarce, and Gaza’s youngest generation continues to pay the highest price.
“The world cannot look away,” Dr. Suleiman said. “These are not just numbers. These are children — fragile, starving, and forgotten.”
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