Multitudes of children and adults in Gaza succumb to malnourishment in July due to intensifying food scarcity
In the Gaza Strip, a humanitarian crisis is unfolding as malnutrition rates reach alarming levels and deaths due to malnutrition surge among children and adults.
This month alone, at least 48 people, including 28 adults and 20 children, have tragically lost their lives due to causes related to malnutrition. The World Food Programme (WFP) urges that nearly 100,000 women and children in Gaza urgently need treatment for malnutrition.
Hospitals in Gaza are grappling with the influx of severely malnourished patients arriving in critical condition. The 10-bed ward at Gaza City's Shifa Hospital has seen up to 19 children at a time this month, as it has begun treating older children due to worsening starvation among them.
The hospital's director, Mohammed Abu Selmia, reports that many adults who have died had preexisting conditions like diabetes or heart or kidney trouble, but malnutrition has exacerbated these conditions, leading to preventable deaths.
Among the victims are five starving children who recently died due to a lack of basic treatments for malnutrition under Israel's blockade. This marks the first time such deaths have been seen by the centre in children who had no preexisting conditions.
The crisis has been exacerbated by Israel's blockade, which has restricted humanitarian aid, food, and medical supplies. Amnesty International states that Israel has continued to use starvation of civilians as a weapon of war in Gaza, deliberately imposing life-threatening conditions.
Since Israel slightly eased the blockade in late May, it has allowed in around 4,500 trucks for aid distribution, including 2,500 tons of baby food and high-calorie special food for children. However, medicine for potassium deficiency has largely run out across Gaza, posing a risk of more deaths.
The U.N. reports that hundreds of Palestinians have been killed trying to reach food distribution sites in Gaza. The situation is particularly dire for families like the Abu Ful family, whose meal consists of boiled eggplants, stretched to last them a few days.
One such victim is 2-year-old Yazan Abu Ful from the Shati Refugee Camp in Gaza city, who is severely malnourished, with his vertebrae, ribs, and shoulder-blades visible. Several of Yazan's older siblings also appear thin and drained.
The U.N. attributes these conditions and resulting deaths to Israel's interference and militarization of humanitarian aid, which restricts the delivery of life-saving assistance to the population. However, David Mencer, spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister's office, denies there is a "famine created by Israel" in Gaza and blames Hamas for creating "man-made shortages" by looting aid trucks. The U.N. denies that Hamas siphons off significant quantities of aid.
Despite these challenges, hospitals in Gaza continue to work tirelessly to treat the influx of malnourished children and adults, providing them with the care and nutrition they desperately need. The Patient's Friends Hospital in Gaza City, for example, is experiencing an unprecedented influx of malnourished children, with symptoms getting worse, with children too weak to cry or move.
The situation in Gaza is a stark reminder of the urgent need for unimpeded access to food, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza, to prevent further loss of life and suffering.
[1] World Health Organization (WHO) [2] Amnesty International [3] United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) [4] United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
In light of the crisis in Gaza, where malnutrition rates are skyrocketing, the World Health Organization (WHO) could expand its focus to encompass health-and-wellness initiatives that include nutrition education and support. Additionally, Amnesty International might consider broadening its investigations to include cases of malnutrition in cities outside the Middle East, such as Seattle, to highlight similar issues in different political contexts.
