93 children among 175 people who died of starvation amid Israeli blockade: Ministry - War on Gaza
Over 150 of the hunger-related deaths have occurred since Israel imposed its total blockade on Gaza on 2 March, according to various reports.
Gaza's humanitarian crisis continues to deteriorate under an ongoing Israeli blockade, with severe shortages of food and medical supplies, the health ministry warned via its official Facebook page.
Last week, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global authority on food crises, said a 'worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out' in Gaza, warning of 'widespread death' without urgent action.
The alert followed the spread of images in media reports of emaciated children and multiple reports of hunger-related fatalities.
International outrage prompted Israel to announce daily 'humanitarian pauses' and aid airdrops. Still, the United Nations (UN) and Palestinians on the ground say these measures have done little to ease the crisis. Aid trucks are often overwhelmed by desperate crowds before they reach their intended destinations.
The IPC has warned that Gaza has hovered on the brink of famine for two years, with the situation 'dramatically worsened' by increasingly strict Israeli restrictions.
The World Food Programme (WFP) says one in three people in Gaza is going days without eating.
At the same time, hospitals report a rising number of deaths from malnutrition, particularly among children under five. Gaza's population of over 2 million has been pushed into ever smaller and devastated areas under constant bombardment, with essential services collapsing.
Witkoff says 'no famine in Gaza'
In the face of growing international outrage over images of Palestinians starving due to the Israeli blockade, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff claimed on Friday that 'there is no famine in Gaza'.
Witkoff made the claim during a meeting in Tel Aviv with families of Israelis held captive by Palestinian factions in Gaza.
Witkoff's comments contradicted those of US President Donald Trump, who recently said: 'That's real starvation stuff ... I see it, and you can't fake that.'
Earlier on Saturday, the US envoy visited Rafah in southern Gaza, where he toured a facility run by the US-backed and Israeli-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), established in May.
The GHF has been condemned by tens of international aid agencies and rights groups as a "death trap" for hungry Gazans, as Israeli forces killed over 1,400 starving aid-seekers at the foundation's distribution points since 27 May.
Hamas dismissed Witkoff's visit as a 'pre-scripted performance' aimed at misleading public opinion and providing political cover for a deliberate campaign of starvation.
In a statement, the Palestinian resistance group accused the US of being 'a full partner in the crimes of starvation and genocide taking place before the eyes of the world.' The group urged Washington to lift its political backing for "the crime of the century" in Gaza.
Follow us on:
Short link:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
See - Sada Elbalad
an hour ago
- See - Sada Elbalad
Gaza Hospitals Overwhelmed as Occupancy Hits 300%
Israa Farhan Gaza's health system is facing unprecedented pressure, with hospital occupancy rates surging to catastrophic levels, reaching up to 300 percent in some facilities. The Palestinian Ministry of Health described the situation as hospitals drowning in a sea of injuries, far exceeding their capacity to treat patients. In a recent statement, the ministry reported that bed occupancy at Al-Shifa Hospital reached 240 percent, while Rantisi Hospital stood at 210 percent. Nasser Hospital was at 180 percent, and Al-Ahli Arab Hospital reached full saturation at 300 percent. Due to this overflow, hospitals have resorted to placing patients in hallways and on floors. The Ministry of Health renewed its urgent appeal to the international community and humanitarian organizations to deliver immediate and effective support to Gaza's collapsing health sector. Meanwhile, the death toll from what the ministry labelled Israel's starvation policy has risen to 175 Palestinians, including 93 children, since the beginning of the war on October 7, 2023. Over the past 24 hours alone, six adults died due to starvation and malnutrition, according to the ministry's latest figures. The World Food Program estimates that one in four Palestinians in Gaza are facing famine-like conditions. About 100,000 women and children are suffering from acute malnutrition, as food and medical aid remain critically scarce. Adding to the devastation, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society condemned an Israeli airstrike that targeted its administrative headquarters in Al-Amal City, Khan Younis. The strike resulted in the death of one staff member and injuries to several others, as well as severe structural damage. According to a statement from the Red Crescent, the attack began after midnight, striking the upper floors of the building. A second strike occurred during damage assessment, followed by a third during firefighting efforts. The statement confirmed that the deceased staff member's body was recovered in two stages, during the early morning hours. Three others were injured, including two Red Crescent employees and one nearby resident who sustained serious wounds. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Arts & Culture Lebanese Media: Fayrouz Collapses after Death of Ziad Rahbani Sports Get to Know 2025 WWE Evolution Results
Al-Ahram Weekly
a day ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
93 children among 175 people who died of starvation amid Israeli blockade: Ministry - War on Gaza
The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced Sunday that six more adults have died from starvation in the past 24 hours due to the deadly Israeli blockade, bringing the total number of hunger-related deaths in Gaza to 175, including 93 children, since the outbreak of the genocidal Israeli war on the Strip in October 2023. Over 150 of the hunger-related deaths have occurred since Israel imposed its total blockade on Gaza on 2 March, according to various reports. Gaza's humanitarian crisis continues to deteriorate under an ongoing Israeli blockade, with severe shortages of food and medical supplies, the health ministry warned via its official Facebook page. Last week, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global authority on food crises, said a 'worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out' in Gaza, warning of 'widespread death' without urgent action. The alert followed the spread of images in media reports of emaciated children and multiple reports of hunger-related fatalities. International outrage prompted Israel to announce daily 'humanitarian pauses' and aid airdrops. Still, the United Nations (UN) and Palestinians on the ground say these measures have done little to ease the crisis. Aid trucks are often overwhelmed by desperate crowds before they reach their intended destinations. The IPC has warned that Gaza has hovered on the brink of famine for two years, with the situation 'dramatically worsened' by increasingly strict Israeli restrictions. The World Food Programme (WFP) says one in three people in Gaza is going days without eating. At the same time, hospitals report a rising number of deaths from malnutrition, particularly among children under five. Gaza's population of over 2 million has been pushed into ever smaller and devastated areas under constant bombardment, with essential services collapsing. Witkoff says 'no famine in Gaza' In the face of growing international outrage over images of Palestinians starving due to the Israeli blockade, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff claimed on Friday that 'there is no famine in Gaza'. Witkoff made the claim during a meeting in Tel Aviv with families of Israelis held captive by Palestinian factions in Gaza. Witkoff's comments contradicted those of US President Donald Trump, who recently said: 'That's real starvation stuff ... I see it, and you can't fake that.' Earlier on Saturday, the US envoy visited Rafah in southern Gaza, where he toured a facility run by the US-backed and Israeli-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), established in May. The GHF has been condemned by tens of international aid agencies and rights groups as a "death trap" for hungry Gazans, as Israeli forces killed over 1,400 starving aid-seekers at the foundation's distribution points since 27 May. Hamas dismissed Witkoff's visit as a 'pre-scripted performance' aimed at misleading public opinion and providing political cover for a deliberate campaign of starvation. In a statement, the Palestinian resistance group accused the US of being 'a full partner in the crimes of starvation and genocide taking place before the eyes of the world.' The group urged Washington to lift its political backing for "the crime of the century" in Gaza. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
a day ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Eight more aid-seekers among 18 killed by Israeli fire Saturday
Hospitals in Gaza reported the killing of more than a dozen people, eight of them food-seekers, by Israeli occupation army on Saturday as Palestinians endured severe risks in their search for food amid airdrops and restrictions on overland aid delivery. Near the US-Israeli so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution site, Yahia Youssef, who had come to seek aid Saturday morning, described a panicked scene now grimly familiar. After helping carry out three people wounded by gunshots, he said he looked around and saw many others lying on the ground bleeding. 'It's the same daily episode,' Youssef said. The episode came a day after U.S. officials visited one site and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called GHF's distribution 'an incredible feat.' International outrage has mounted as the group's efforts to deliver aid to hunger-stricken Gaza have been marred by violence and controversy. 'We weren't close to them (the troops) and there was no threat,' Abed Salah, a man in his 30s who was among the crowds close to the GHF site near Netzarim corridor, said. 'I escaped death miraculously.' The danger facing aid seekers in Gaza has compounded what international hunger experts this week called a 'worst-case scenario of famine' in the besieged enclave. Israel's nearly 22-month genocidal war has shattered security in the territory of some 2,3 million Palestinians and made it nearly impossible to deliver food safely to starving people. From May 27 to July 31, Israel killed 859 Palestinians in the vicinity of GHF sites, according to a United Nations report published Thursday. Hundreds more have been killed along the routes of food convoys. GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to prevent deadly crowding. Israel's claimed it has only fired warning shots at people who approach its forces, though on Friday said it was working to make the routes under its control safer. Health officials reported that Israeli airstrikes and gunfire killed at least 18 Palestinians on Saturday, including three whose bodies were transported from the vicinity of a distribution site to a central Gaza hospital along with 36 others who were wounded. Officials said 10 of Saturday's casualties were killed by strikes in central and southern Gaza. Nasser Hospital said it received the bodies of five people killed in two separate strikes on tents sheltering displaced people. The dead include two brothers and a relative, who were killed when a strike hit their tent close to a main thoroughfare in Khan Younis. The Gaza health ministry's ambulance and emergency service said an Israeli strike hit a family's house in an area between the towns of Zawaida and Deir al-Balah, killing two parents and their three children. Another strike hit a tent close to the gate of a closed prison where the displaced have sheltered in Khan Younis, killing a mother and her daughter, they said. The hospital said Israeli forces killed five other Palestinians who were among crowds awaiting aid near the newly constructed Morag corridor in Rafah and between Rafah and Khan Younis. Airdrops expand despite limited impact To circumvent restrictions on aid trucks crossing overland into Gaza, additional countries joined the Jordan-led coalition orchestrating parcels being dropped from the skies. Several European countries announced plans this week to join airdrop efforts, though most acknowledge the strategy is woefully insufficient 'If there is political will to allow airdrops, which are highly costly, insufficient & inefficient, there should be similar political will to open the road crossings,' Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, wrote on X on Saturday. 'Let's go back to what works & let us do our job.' Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has killed more than 60,332 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and wounded over 147,643 others, according to the Health Ministry. The U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
