Gaza Strip: At least 10 Palestinians have died of forced starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours in Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry on Wednesday, July 23.
This brings the total number of people starved to death in the territory to 111, including at least 80 children.
The majority of these deaths have occurred in recent weeks, underscoring the escalating humanitarian emergency under Israel’s months-long blockade.
Among the children who died on Tuesday, July 21, were six-week-old Yousef al-Safadi, who passed away at a hospital in northern Gaza City.
His uncle, Adham al-Safadi, told Reuters the infant’s mother was unable to breastfeed due to lack of food, and the family could not afford formula. “You can’t get milk anywhere. If you do, it’s USD 100 for a tub. The baby died of malnutrition,” he said.
Blockade deepens crisis
Gaza’s starvation crisis has worsened under a near-total blockade enforced by Israel since March, which has severely restricted the entry of food, fuel, water, and humanitarian supplies. A limited amount of aid has entered since May, primarily through the controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
The UN Human Rights Office earlier this week accused Israeli forces of killing more than 1,000 people at aid distribution points since late May.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has described the situation as reaching “astonishing levels of desperation,” with a third of Gaza’s population going days without food and nearly 100,000 women and children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
Ross Smith, WFP’s Director of Emergency Response, called the crisis “completely avoidable,” noting that only 10 percent of the necessary aid trucks have been allowed in since mid-May. “Markets have collapsed, and starvation is driving desperation,” he warned.
International outcry over imminent famine
On Wednesday, over 100 international organisations, including Amnesty International, Oxfam, and Médecins Sans Frontieres, issued a joint statement warning of “mass famine” in Gaza.
“Tons of food, water, and medicine are sitting just outside Gaza. Israel is preventing humanitarian groups from delivering them,” the statement said, calling for a ceasefire and the opening of all land crossings.
Juliette Touma, spokesperson for UNRWA, labelled the situation “catastrophic by all standards” during a press briefing in Geneva. She revealed that over 6,000 aid trucks remain stuck in Jordan and Egypt, and UN staff in Gaza are collapsing from hunger.
Touma also criticised Israel for refusing to renew the visa of a senior UN liaison, hindering coordination efforts. “There is mass killing in Gaza with impunity,” she stated. “One in 10 children seen in UNRWA clinics is malnourished. Gaza has become hell on earth—there is no safe place.”
21 children die of starvation in 72 hours in Gaza
Dr Mohammad Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, reported that 21 children had died from starvation in just three days. In the south, grieving parents at Nasser Hospital mourned the death of 14-year-old Abdel Jawad Al-Ghalban, who died of hunger, Wafa News Agency reported.
Guterres: “Famine is knocking on every door”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the ongoing crisis as “unparalleled in modern history,” warning that famine is “knocking on every door” in Gaza.
As aid agencies, medics, and global leaders continue to urge immediate intervention, the people of Gaza remain on the brink of catastrophe—caught between war, blockade, and a hunger crisis spiralling out of control.
The crisis unfolds against the backdrop of Israel’s ongoing military assault, launched in response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of 251 hostages. Since then, Israeli airstrikes, shelling, and ground operations have killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians.
