Gaza Faces Unprecedented Starvation Crisis as Malnutrition Rates Soar Among Children
Gaza Faces Unprecedented Starvation Crisis as Malnutrition Rates Soar Among Children
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has reported a alarming tripling of severe malnutrition cases among children under five at its Gaza City clinic within the last two weeks, signaling a drastic escalation of the starvation crisis in the Israeli-besieged strip. The global aid community is sounding urgent alarms as Gaza plunges deeper into mass starvation, with daily reported deaths.
MSF, one of Gaza’s largest medical providers, revealed that a quarter of all young children and pregnant or breastfeeding women screened at its clinics last week were malnourished. The number of individuals requiring malnutrition care at its Gaza City location has quadrupled since May. The charity attributes the crisis to an alleged Israeli ‘policy of starvation,’ echoing growing global condemnation from over 100 aid groups regarding Israel’s purported blockade of most aid into Gaza.
In a recent statement, MSF asserted, ‘Israeli authorities’ deliberate use of starvation as a weapon in Gaza has reached unprecedented levels, with patients and healthcare workers themselves now fighting to survive.’ Health authorities confirm at least 122 starvation-related deaths in Gaza, with nine more fatalities reported in the last 24 hours alone.
The World Food Programme (WFP) recently highlighted the dire situation, stating that nearly a third of Gaza’s population goes days without food, and the hunger crisis has reached ‘new and astonishing levels of desperation.’ The WFP estimates 90,000 women and children are in urgent need of treatment for malnutrition.
Local medical professionals corroborate the grim reality. Dr. Naji al-Qurashali, an obstetrician-gynaecologist in Gaza, estimates that 50% of the hundreds of pregnant women he sees daily suffer from malnutrition, leading to a significant increase in miscarriages and premature or disfigured births among those carried to term. He also faces critical shortages of medical supplies, resorting to unsanitary gloves and expired medications.
Medical experts warn that children and pregnant women, society’s most vulnerable, are the first casualties in mass hunger events. Despite the mounting evidence, Israel’s foreign ministry has denied responsibility for the crisis, labeling it a ‘deliberate foreign ploy to defame Israel,’ and blames the UN for aid distribution failures. The UN counters that Israeli restrictions impede its operations, preventing access to 400 distribution points.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has criticized the international community for its ‘lack of humanity,’ calling the situation not just a humanitarian crisis but a ‘moral crisis.’ Leaders from the UK, France, and Germany have issued a joint statement demanding an immediate end to the ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ and urging Israel to lift aid restrictions, also opposing any efforts to impose Israeli sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territories and calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Amidst this, French President Emmanuel Macron announced France’s intention to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, urging other European nations to follow suit. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, while condemning the ‘unspeakable and indefensible’ humanitarian situation, has not committed to similar recognition. Ceasefire negotiations appear to have collapsed, with both Israeli/US and Hamas officials blaming the other side for the breakdown.
The Israeli military recently agreed to allow Jordan and the UAE to airdrop aid into Gaza, a method Hamas dismissed as a ‘political stunt,’ emphasizing the need for an open humanitarian corridor and steady truck deliveries. The ongoing struggle for food is exemplified by Amal Masri, a pregnant mother in Gaza, who faces near-impossible odds in finding suitable nutrition, often vomiting from desperation.
The situation remains critical, with ongoing diplomatic efforts and humanitarian appeals failing to alleviate the suffering of Gaza’s population.
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