DaysofPal – Five Palestinians have starved to death in the past 24 hours in Gaza, including three children, the Health Ministry reported, highlighting the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Strip. These latest fatalities bring the total number of malnutrition-related deaths since the start of the war to 387, including 138 children.
The Global Hunger Monitor confirmed on 22 August that famine is occurring in northern Gaza and is spreading across the Strip. Since that declaration, 109 deaths have been recorded, including 23 children. Experts warn that famine is expected to extend to central areas such as Deir al-Balah and southern Khan Younis by the end of September unless urgent measures are taken.
UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram described the situation as “catastrophic” and emphasized that families are unable to feed their children. Speaking from Gaza, she noted that Palestinians, particularly in the eastern and northern parts of Gaza City, are fleeing escalating Israeli bombardment westward toward the sea, where the number of camps and tents along the coast is increasing.
During her visit to several malnutrition clinics in Gaza this week, Ingram said that 15-20% of children examined were malnourished, exceeding the famine threshold. She warned that thousands of children urgently need treatment and that large quantities of food and clean water must be delivered immediately. “If the situation does not change, more children in Gaza will be at risk of dying from starvation,” she said. Ingram stressed that over 110 children have already died from malnutrition, nearly half of them this year alone, describing these deaths as “man-made” and preventable.
The famine is compounded by the ongoing Israeli blockade, in place for 18 years, which has left nearly 2.4 million people in Gaza homeless after the destruction of their homes in the war. Since 2 March, Israel has closed all crossings into the Strip, preventing the entry of food, medicine, and humanitarian aid despite stockpiles of relief trucks at the border. Limited aid is occasionally allowed through, but it is insufficient to meet the basic needs of the displaced population. The Gaza government has also reported that most of the aid trucks are looted by gangs allegedly protected by Israel.
With US support, Israel has conducted a genocidal war in Gaza since 7 October 2023, killing 64,368 Palestinians, injuring 162,367, mostly children and women, and leaving over 9,000 missing. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced, and a famine that has claimed 382 lives, including 135 children, continues to spread.
International organizations, including Save the Children and UNICEF, are urgently calling for immediate delivery of food, water, and medicine to prevent further deaths. Tens of thousands of children remain at risk, and experts warn that without swift and sustained humanitarian intervention, the daily toll of child starvation in Gaza will only worsen.
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