Gaza Starvation Crisis Deepens as Dozens of Children, Adults Die/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ In July alone, dozens of Palestinians — including children — have died from hunger and malnutrition in Gaza amid critical aid shortages. Doctors and humanitarian workers report an alarming rise in starvation cases, as Israel’s blockade continues to restrict vital supplies. The World Health Organization and U.N. agencies confirm that Gaza’s hunger crisis is worsening daily.
Gaza Hunger Crisis + Quick Looks
- At least 48 malnutrition-related deaths reported in July, including 20 children
- Children with no preexisting conditions now dying of starvation
- WHO and U.N. confirm sharp rise in fatal hunger cases
- Aid and nutrition supplies severely restricted under Israeli blockade
- Families survive on minimal food; children too weak to cry or move
- Hospital staff overwhelmed by 200–300 daily malnutrition cases
- Doctors warn Gaza is entering a “population death spiral”
- Israel blames Hamas; U.N. says more aid must be allowed in
- Humanitarian agencies report looting subsides when aid flows increase
- Starvation now claiming adults with chronic conditions due to lack of medicine
Gaza Famine Crisis Deepens as Children, Adults Die
Deep Look
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has escalated dramatically this July, with at least 48 confirmed deaths from hunger and malnutrition — including 20 children — as the region continues to face severe food shortages under an ongoing Israeli blockade. Health officials and aid workers on the ground describe an increasingly desperate situation, with hospitals unable to treat patients, children dying daily, and families left with nothing but boiled water and scraps to eat.
At the Patient’s Friends Hospital in Gaza City, staff are witnessing an unprecedented wave of child starvation cases. The center, which typically handles malnourished children under five, has begun accepting children as old as 11 due to rising starvation levels. Dr. Rana Soboh, a nutritionist with U.S.-based Medglobal, said five children died over a recent four-day span — including infants with no prior health conditions. Basic medical supplies have run out, and alternative treatments are proving ineffective.
“There are no words in the face of the disaster we are in. Kids are dying before the world,” Soboh said. Children arriving at the hospital are too weak to move, some unable even to cry. Staff say two nurses have resorted to using IV fluids on themselves to stay conscious through the long shifts.
The most harrowing sign of deterioration: children who previously showed signs of recovery are now staying longer and failing to improve. Four of the five children who recently died experienced gastric arrest due to malnutrition, while another, 4-year-old Siwar, succumbed to potassium deficiency, a condition made lethal by the absence of essential medicine in Gaza.
The crisis is not limited to children. Adults with preexisting conditions are also dying from starvation-related complications. At Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, doctors reported that two adults — one diabetic, one with a heart condition — died from severe nutrient deficiencies and anemia.
“We’re seeing diseases that don’t kill under normal circumstances turn deadly due to a complete lack of food and medicine,” said Dr. Mohammed Abu Selmia, the hospital’s director.
The sharp uptick in deaths follows months of extreme supply restrictions. Since March, Israel has imposed a near-total blockade on Gaza, halting food, fuel, and medical supplies in an effort to pressure Hamas to release hostages. The result has been widespread hunger, economic collapse, and what aid groups now describe as the early stages of famine.
Israel began allowing limited aid in late May — just 4,500 trucks over two months, according to its foreign ministry — including 2,500 tons of baby food. But the U.N. says this is a fraction of what’s needed. An average of 69 trucks per day is far short of the 500–600 trucks the U.N. estimates are necessary to meet basic survival needs.
Distribution challenges have further compounded the problem. Hungry mobs and criminal gangs often seize the limited aid before it reaches designated recipients. Yet humanitarian workers maintain that when supplies are sufficient, looting dramatically decreases.
Israel insists the aid restrictions are justified and accuses Hamas of looting aid for its own use — a claim the U.N. and aid agencies reject. On Tuesday, Israeli spokesperson David Mencer denied that Israel created a famine in Gaza and blamed Hamas for “man-made shortages.”
But for families like the Abu Fuls in the Shati refugee camp, such rhetoric brings no relief. Naima Abu Ful, pregnant and exhausted, showed her 2-year-old son Yazan’s skeletal frame to reporters. The boy lies motionless on the floor most days. With no money and little access to food, the family survives on boiled eggplant water — their only meal stretched across several days.
“If we leave him, he might just slip away from between our fingers,” said Yazan’s father, Mahmoud.
The World Food Program estimates that nearly 100,000 women and children in Gaza urgently need treatment for malnutrition. Aid workers warn that unless more substantial and consistent humanitarian access is granted, the current situation may spiral into mass population loss.
Dr. John Kahler, Medglobal’s co-founder, stated bluntly, “We have crossed the line. This is the beginning of a population death spiral.”
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