Eighteen children in Gaza have died from malnutrition and dehydration, with at least 15 at Kamal Adwan, Gaza’s sole pediatric hospital, according to the Ministry of Health of Gaza.
The Ministry additionally expressed concern for the lives of six other infants battling severe malnutrition who are currently receiving treatment at the hospital.
According to a warning from Unicef, the UN agency for children, the number of children who may starve to death is expected to rise sharply if the war and the barriers to humanitarian aid are not swiftly addressed.
Since the beginning of the war, over 30,700 people have died and 72,000 more have been injured in Gaza, according to the Gaza health ministry. Of these, 70 percent are women and children.
Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, representative for the World Health Organization, said to reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that “2.2 million people in Gaza are in the midst of an epic catastrophe and facing inhumane conditions” in the absence of a long-term cease-fire.
“There is a risk of famine. There is a risk of disease. There is an enormous amount of desperation, and the scarcity has led to a regular breakdown of law and order,” Peeperkorn said.
The chief of WHO’s Gaza sub-office, Dr. Ahmed Dahir, added, “the situation in the hospitals is equally dire.” He noted that patients and healthcare professionals are surviving on just one simple meal every day. Both hospitals were also short on manpower, fuel, and specialised personnel, he said.
Last month, the UN’s leading expert on the right to food stated that Israel is intentionally starving Palestinians and should be held accountable for war crimes and genocide. He explained that two million Palestinians are facing severe shortages due to Israel’s deliberate acts of destroying food supplies and severely restricting the flow of food, medicines and other humanitarian supplies.
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