15 children die from dehydration, malnutrition in northern Gaza hospital: Health Ministry

By Abdul Salam Fayez

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – At least 15 children died from dehydration and malnutrition at Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said on Sunday.

“15 children died as a result of malnutrition and dehydration in Kamal Adwan Hospital,” ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra said in a statement.

“We fear for the lives of six children suffering from malnutrition and dehydration in intensive care at Kamal Adwan Hospital, as a result of the cessation of the electric generator and oxygen machines,” Qudra added.

On Feb. 19, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that the sharp rise in malnutrition among children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers in the Gaza Strip poses a “serious threat” to their health, particularly given the Israeli forces' ongoing attacks on the enclave.

Israel has put 31 hospitals in Gaza out of service through bombing, destruction, and deprivation of medical supplies and fuel, and has partially targeted 152 health facilities, according to the Government Media Office in Gaza.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed 30,410 people and injured 71,700 others with mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi