TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Twenty-one children have died from starvation and malnutrition in the Gaza Strip over a 72-hour period, according to the head of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. In the past 24 hours alone, at least 15 more people, including a six-week-old baby, succumbed to starvation.
The family of the infant, Yousef, had been unable to find baby formula, his uncle Adham al-Safadi told Al Jazeera.
"You can’t get milk anywhere, and if you do find any, it’s $100 for a tub," he said.
Among the 15 victims on Tuesday were three other children, including 13-year-old Abdulhamid al-Ghalban, who died in a hospital in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza.
Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya said the deaths were recorded at various hospitals across Gaza.
"These deaths were recorded at hospitals in Gaza, including Al-Shifa in Gaza City, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, and Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis," he told reporters, as quoted by Arab News.
He attributed the rising death toll to acute malnutrition and starvation-related complications, worsened by severe shortages of food and medical supplies.
The deepening humanitarian crisis has sparked growing concern. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 101 people, including 80 children, have died from starvation and malnutrition since Israel began its military offensive in October 2023. Most of these deaths have occurred in recent weeks.
Food supplies in Gaza have been nearly exhausted since Israel cut off access to the enclave in March. Although the blockade was partially eased in May, allowing limited aid through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) supported by the U.S. and Israel, aid distribution remains highly restricted.
Since the GHF began operations on May 26, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access food, according to the United Nations. UN data shows that 766 of those deaths occurred near GHF distribution points, while 288 others were killed near UN aid convoys and other aid operations.
UN human rights office spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said these deaths were caused by Israeli military fire.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini strongly criticized the aid delivery setup.
Lazzarini added that the act of searching for food in Gaza has become as dangerous as enduring Israeli airstrikes, condemning the GHF distribution efforts as "a sadistic death trap."
"Snipers open fire randomly on crowds as if they are given a licence to kill. A massive hunt of people, in total impunity. This cannot be our new norm, humanitarian assistance is not the job of mercenaries," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.
Israel has accused Hamas of seizing aid, though it has not provided substantial evidence, and blames UN agencies for failing to distribute the aid that has been approved for entry.
Lazzarini also reported that aid workers, including UN staff and doctors, are collapsing from hunger and exhaustion while working in Gaza.
In a separate statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Trk raised concerns over Israel’s continued military operations in Deir al-Balah.
"It seemed the nightmare couldn’t possibly get worse. And yet it does... Given the concentration of civilians in the area, and the means and methods of warfare employed by Israel until now, the risks of unlawful killings and other serious violations of international humanitarian law are extremely high," he warned.
On Tuesday, at least 20 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes, according to Palestinian health officials. The strikes hit areas that had previously experienced less frequent fighting over the course of the 21-month conflict.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned the violence, particularly at aid distribution points.
"The killing of civilians seeking aid in Gaza is indefensible," she said on social media.
She added that she had spoken with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to urge improved humanitarian access and warned that "all options are on the table" if current promises are not kept.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the situation for the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza (facing relentless airstrikes, hunger, and deprivation) as a catastrophe without precedent.
"Malnourishment is soaring, starvation is knocking on every door, and now we are seeing the last gasp of a humanitarian system built on humanitarian principles," Guterres told the UN Security Council.
"This system is being denied the space to function, denied the space to deliver, denied the safety to save lives."
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