66 children die from hunger in Gaza

At least 66 children in the Gaza Strip have died from acute malnutrition since October 2023, according to local health authorities, as the territory grapples with an intensifying humanitarian catastrophe under Israel’s ongoing blockade.

Hospitals in Gaza, already crippled by shortages of fuel, medicine and electricity, are reporting a sharp rise in cases of starvation and disease among children, especially infants. Medical teams say many of the victims died not only from hunger but from the collapse of basic health services.

Among the recent fatalities are infants too young to walk or speak. Their parents, displaced by months of war, describe being unable to find even basic food like baby formula or clean water.

“These children did not have to die,” said a doctor at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, speaking on condition of anonymity. “With proper nutrition and care, they would have survived. But we have nothing left to give them.”

The Gaza Strip has been under a near-total blockade since early October, following the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas. While limited aid has entered through tightly controlled crossings, humanitarian organisations say it’s nowhere near enough to meet the needs of over two million people trapped in the territory.

Half of Gaza’s population are children, many now living in makeshift shelters without access to adequate food, sanitation or health care.

The World Health Organisation and UNICEF have repeatedly warned of a looming famine in parts of the enclave, urging all parties to allow sustained humanitarian access. Yet, despite mounting international pressure, relief efforts continue to face obstacles on the ground.

Israeli authorities say they are facilitating the entry of humanitarian supplies and accuse Hamas of mismanaging or diverting aid. However, aid agencies on the ground dispute this, pointing instead to widespread destruction, insecurity, and long delays at checkpoints.

As the crisis deepens, health workers warn that the current death toll may only be the beginning.

“If aid doesn’t flow in immediately and consistently, we will see even more children die — not just from malnutrition, but from diseases that healthy children would easily survive,” said a representative from an international NGO working in Gaza.

With no ceasefire in sight and conditions deteriorating daily, Gaza’s youngest are bearing the heaviest burden of a war they did not choose.