Gaza: Tens of thousands of children across Gaza are at extreme risk of dying from severe malnutrition, as aid blockades, medical shortages, and destroyed health facilities leave humanitarian groups unable to respond, according to the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organisations Network.
Amjad Shawa, speaking to Al Jazeera from Gaza City, warned that “the whole Strip is starving,” with no food, no supplements, and no medicine for children suffering in overcrowded shelters and war-torn neighborhoods. He added that thousands of children are now in critical condition, and fears that more child deaths will occur in the coming days.
Most health facilities in Gaza are no longer functional, making it impossible to treat the growing number of malnutrition cases. With Israel’s 60-day blockade halting the entry of food and aid, humanitarian organizations say the crisis is spiralling out of control.
The Health Ministry in Gaza reports at least 52,418 Palestinians killed and over 118,091 wounded since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023. However, the Gaza Government Media Office estimates the true death toll to exceed 61,700, accounting for those buried under rubble.
The ongoing bombardment has also intensified. On Thursday alone, 31 people were killed in Israeli strikes, and overnight attacks continued into Friday. Meanwhile, a Gaza Freedom Flotilla ship carrying 30 pro-Palestinian activists was reportedly hit by a drone and is sinking near Malta.
Human rights groups and UN officials continue to urge for an immediate ceasefire and the opening of aid corridors, warning that Gaza’s children are dying silently while the world watches.
