Malnutrition drives children in Gaza to death

By Mustafa Habbus and Zeynep Hilal Karyagdi Duran

GAZA, Palestine (AA) - Children at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia are grappling with death due to the shortage of food and medication amid the ongoing Israeli attacks and blockades preventing aid delivery.

Speaking to Anadolu, Palestinian mothers expressed "deep concern" for their children.

Children like eight-year-old Jana Ayad lie in "critical" condition due to widespread malnutrition exacerbated by the 17-year blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza.

Jana's mother stated that her daughter is "unable to move and stammer in speech," attributing it to a lack of essential nutrients like vitamins, proteins, and calcium.

"My child's body has become weak and she has lost a lot of weight in recent days," she said.

Hoping for her daughter to receive treatment outside Gaza where medical facilities are scarce due to Israeli airstrikes, she expressed: "What happened to my child is the result of the siege and the Israeli war."

Similarly, the mother of Nour al-Huda Mohammed, 11, fears for her child's life as hospitals in northern Gaza lack proper treatment and food.

"My child suffers from a lung disease (not yet identified), low blood levels in her body, and malnutrition, which negatively affects her life," she bemoaned.

The mother hopes to provide her child with the necessary treatment and healthy food, and to allow her to leave Gaza to receive the necessary treatment.

- Israel plunges Gaza into famine

While the lives of Jana, Nour al-Huda and others are at stake, Israel killed more than 13,000 children in its war on Gaza, among tens of thousands of civilian victims, in addition to a famine that killed children and the elderly, according to Palestinian and UN data.

Israel continues the war, despite the UN Security Council passing a resolution on Monday, calling for an immediate cease-fire during Ramadan and Tel Aviv appearing before the International Court of Justice for the first time on charges of "genocide" against the Palestinians.

Gaza, home to 2.3 million people, faces a dire humanitarian crisis as Israeli attacks persist since Oct. 7, 2023.

The attacks target civilian areas and vital infrastructure while blocking humanitarian aid, leading to widespread hunger and medical shortages.

International calls for a cease-fire and increased aid access echo amid warnings of famine.

According to the latest data from the Gaza Health Ministry, 27 people have died from malnutrition and dehydration in the Gaza Strip, where Israel's obstruction of aid has led to a major "humanitarian disaster."

Since Oct. 7, Israeli attacks have resulted in the deaths of at least 32,414 Palestinians, including 14,280 children and 9,340 women, with 74,787 people injured.

*Writing by Muhammed Yasin Gungor in Istanbul