Gaza is now facing its deadliest short-term starvation crisis since Israel’s siege began. In just the past 48 hours, 20 people, mostly children, died from hunger and malnutrition, the Health Ministry reports. Since March, the toll has risen to 87 deaths from starvation, including 77 children. And these numbers are likely only part of the picture, given the lack of accurate reporting.
What should be lifelines have become death zones. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) run with U.S. and Israeli backing, manages aid sites that have increasingly become deadly. In the past 24 hours, 95 people were killed just trying to collect aid. Overall, 1,017 people have died and 6,453 have been injured at these sites throughout the war.
Malnutrition-related illnesses are now widespread. Officials confirm 47 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a nerve disorder stemming from malnutrition and contaminated water. Among them are 18 children under 15, and Gaza lacks access to IVIG, the necessary treatment, due to the blockade.
Even medical teams are starving. According to Health Minister Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, doctors and nurses caring for malnourished children and trauma victims have lost access to daily meals, and now most can’t eat even once a day.
This is not a tragedy—it’s a man-made famine. Gaza’s hospitals are overwhelmed, food is weaponized, and aid remains blocked. In northern Gaza alone, more than 70,000 children face acute malnutrition, according to the World Food Programme. The UN warns this represents the highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger ever recorded on its IPC scale.
🛑 This is developing news. Stay tuned for further updates.