Report of two-month old baby dying in Gaza from hunger ‘horrific’: UNRWA
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees says high risk malnutrition continues to increase in the coastal enclave, with one in six children in northern Gaza “severely malnourished”. “We continue to appeal for regular humanitarian access,” UNRWA said in a post on X.
According to Shehab news agency, the two-month old infant Mahmoud Fattouh died at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Friday. Footage, verified by Al Jazeera, showed the emaciated infant gasping for breath in a hospital bed.
Reports that a 2-month-old baby died of hunger in #Gaza are horrific.
High risk malnutrition continues to rise, 1 in 6 children in north #Gaza are severely malnourished.
This is a man made disaster. We continue to appeal for regular humanitarian access.https://t.co/JOvUbNKLBj
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) February 25, 2024
Death of children in Gaza ‘man-made’: Doctor
Mads Gilbert, a Norwegian physician and humanitarian advocate, says infant death from starvation is a direct consequence of Israeli restrictions on aid entering the coastal enclave. “This is not a tragedy; it is man-made. Starvation is being forced upon the people of Gaza by the Israeli occupation forces,” Gilbert, who has more than 30 years of experience working in Gaza hospitals, told Al Jazeera.
“Just two days ago, the international nutrition cluster came out with a very alarming report … that there is a sharp increase in the drivers of malnutrition in Gaza – food insecurity, a lack of diversity in the diet and decreasing infant and young child feeding possibilities.”
Gilbert said Israel’s restricting food and water in the enclave was a “huge war crime”.
“How can the world just sit idly by and watch children die from starvation?”
Dr Mads Gilbert says more babies, children, and pregnant women are likely to die in the enclave due to a lack of food and water during the war. Those who do survive are likely to suffer long-term development problems, including stunting and disease, he says.
“There is a combination of malnutrition, starvation and thirst. This triangle will cause more death,” Gilbert told Al Jazeera. “In Gaza what is needed is water and food — and it’s all available from the neighbouring country,” Gilbert added. “But Israel is stopping the entry of food and water to the people of Gaza, which is a huge war crime. How can the world just sit idly by and watch children dying from starvation?”
“This is not a tragedy. This is a man-made, meant-to-be starvation, forced upon the people of Gaza by the Israeli occupation forces … It’s part of the politics of elimination of the Palestinian people,” he said.
Israeli army targets 2 hungry sisters seeking food in northern Gaza
Photos and testimonies have documented the Israeli army’s targeting of two Palestinian sisters while they were searching for food inside agricultural land in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip. The attack killed Hadeel Aghlais, whose body was transported on a towed cart. Her sister, Iman Aghlais, survived.
A child described that Hadeel was shot twice, in the heart and jaw, and noted that hunger forced the sisters to go to a dangerous area in order to get food. “Even the donkey was injured, we are not guilty of all this, we want a solution,” the child, who witnessed the shooting, said.
The world has failed the children of Gaza: Canadian doctor
Dr Fozia Alvi, a physician from Calgary, who went to Gaza for eight days, has said that she, along with her colleagues, “witnessed crimes against humanity together, saw small children dying of hunger, bombs, sniper shots.” She previously said that doctors, including herself, saw young children with catastrophic injuries, amputations, crushed limbs, ruptured eyes and severe burns.
Last time food delivered to northern Gaza was Jan 23: UNRWA
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini says that since then, together with other UN agencies, “we have warned against looming famine, appealed for regular humanitarian access, and stated that famine can be averted if more food convoys are allowed into northern Gaza on a regular basis.”
Lazzarini says that the UN’s calls to send food aid have been denied and fallen on deaf ears.
“This is a man made disaster. The world committed to never let famine happen again. Famine can still be avoided, through genuine political will to grant access and protection to meaningful assistance. The days to come will once again test our common humanity and values,” he said.
UNRWA warns of diseases spreading due to unsanitary conditions in Gaza
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has said shelters in the besieged coastal enclave are severely overcrowded. “Clean water is scarce. Solid waste is accumulating. Spread of diseases is on the rise,” UNRWA says in a post on X. “The situation is catastrophic, but UNRWA teams continue working to provide critical aid.”
Situation in northern Gaza catastrophic ‘beyond description’: Health Ministry
The ministry in the besieged enclave describes the dire health situation in northern Gaza as hospitals run out of fuel:
- Medical refrigerators are without electricity, which risks destroying large quantities of sensitive medication.
- Dozens of ambulances and medical services are out of commission.
- Dialysis and intensive care patients are facing death due to the lack of fuel for generators, ambulances and medicine.
Rescuers continue to search for Palestinians trapped under rubble in north Gaza
Operations to rescue people under the rubble are still ongoing. It is an extremely difficult process, according to civil defence crew members, paramedics, and volunteers we spoke to.
This is not only the case in Beit Lahiya, where three people were killed in a home, but also in areas south of Gaza City, including the Zeitoun neighbourhood. There, another home was destroyed, killing three more people from one family and leaving others trapped under the rubble. The type of bombs that were used there flatten entire buildings, according to civil defence crew members on the ground.
In Khan Younis in southern Gaza, artillery shelling is ongoing, while attack drones and surveillance drones are in the air. It is getting very dangerous for people there, who in the past were targeted by these drones when they tried to move.
Displaced women from Beit Hanoon share tales of displacement and famine
“We suffer a lot. It is not fair to face starvation and face lack of everything. Our life is a complete misery. We are far behind the pace of civilisation and we can’t achieve any progress in the future. The suffering of the Palestinian people is unprecedented. We live in misery and suffering since birth,” Abu-Amsha added. Zarifa Ahmed Abdel-Hadi Hamed, 73-year-old from Beit Hanoon, said she has seen “so many wars but this one is the worst”.
“I have never witnessed the starvation like this … The last 45 years for the Palestinians are the worst in history and this war comes on top of everything else. We have never seen such humiliation … Death for us is much better than our current life,” she said.
A woman walks amid tents in a camp in Deir el-Balah on Saturday
Israeli forces partially withdraw from Nasser Hospital
The situation is really chaotic, as we have been seeing disturbing videos emerge from Nasser Hospital after the partial Israeli withdrawal. Inside, Israeli tanks have ruined much of the area around the hospital, razing the places that were allocated for ambulances to be stationed. Also, the Israeli military forces managed to destroy the mass grave that residents were forced to make – to bury the dead who were not able to get out.
Widespread destruction in Khan Younis after Israeli forces withdraw
A man passes by a destroyed building while walking on asphalt roads, turned upside down by Israeli airstrikes, as the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from some areas of Khan Younis turns the city into a pile of rubble and ash.
People walk among rubbles of demolished buildings, destroyed by Israeli air strikes
