Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are sounding the alarm as starvation deaths rise under Israel’s continued blockade. The Gaza Health Ministry announced on Friday that nine more people, including infants, have died from malnutrition within the last 24 hours. This raises the total number of such deaths to 122 since the war began in October 2023. Of those, at least 83 were children.
Health officials described the situation as catastrophic. “We urgently demand an immediate end to the famine, the opening of all crossings, and the entry of infant formula now, along with 500 aid trucks and 50 fuel trucks daily,” the Health Ministry stated.
The ministry directly blamed Israel, the US, and other Western allies including the UK, Germany, and France for supporting what they described as a “genocide.” The international community, it added, shares full responsibility for the unfolding crisis.
At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, sources confirmed the death of a six-month-old infant due to starvation-related medical complications. The increase in hunger-related deaths coincides with reports of a tightened siege that is blocking access to basic necessities such as food, water, and medicine.
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Hunger and Attacks Continue Simultaneously
As Palestinians in the Gaza Strip battle hunger, Israeli military operations have continued across the territory. According to hospital sources in Gaza, at least 38 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks since early Friday. Six of those were reportedly shot while attempting to collect food at aid distribution points.
These distribution points, some of which are reportedly backed by Israel and the US through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), have come under criticism for failing to meet humanitarian standards. UN officials and aid groups have refused to work with GHF, citing its lack of neutrality and adherence to international aid principles.
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Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), issued a grim warning on Friday. “Today, more children died, their bodies emaciated by hunger,” he said. “The unfolding famine can only be reversed by political will.”
Lazzarini condemned the GHF as a “cruel” and politically motivated effort that “takes more lives than it saves.” He called for the immediate release of UN aid stockpiles currently being held up by Israeli authorities.
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Journalists and Civilians Demand Action, Not Words
On the ground, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are expressing growing frustration with what they see as empty gestures from the global community. Noor al-Shana, a journalist reporting from the Nuseirat area in central Gaza, described how hunger has overtaken all aspects of life. She now struggles to find enough for one meal a day.
Al-Shana added that four of her relatives were killed while searching for food. “The world is just saying ‘Free Palestine’ … We don’t want words, we want solutions,” she said, her voice breaking. “Enough, we are tired. We are suffocating. We are dying here.”
While the Israeli military claims that aid trucks are inside Gaza and blames international organizations for not distributing them, UN agencies have pushed back. They insist they have not been granted the necessary permissions to move aid freely and securely within the enclave.
The stalemate has left civilians in a dire situation. Hunger has become another front in a brutal conflict that has already claimed over 38,000 lives, according to Gaza health officials. For Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the battle is now not only for freedom but for survival.
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