66 Palestinian Children Die from Malnutrition in Gaza Due to Israeli Blockade

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - At least 66 Palestinian children have died of acute malnutrition in the Gaza Strip under an Israeli blockade since October 2023, local authorities said on Saturday, as the strip suffers from shortages of food, medical supplies and infant formula.

The infant deaths reflect the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Israel has imposed a siege since Oct. 7, 2023, tightening restrictions on aid and fuel.

The latest deaths include three infants who died of malnutrition and lack of medicine this week.

Three-month-old Jouri al-Masri died on Thursday in Deir al-Balah after his family was unable to obtain the special therapeutic milk he needed, according to the Gaza Government Media Office.

On the same day, 5-month-old Nidal Sharab and 10-day-old Kinda al-Hams died at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, with their families blaming extreme malnutrition and a lack of critical medical supplies.

"These deaths reflect the ongoing war crime of denying access to life-saving basic necessities," the media outlet said.

It described the blockade and border closures as "crimes against humanity and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions."

It also condemned what it called the "shameful silence" of the international community in the face of systematic starvation in Gaza.

On Friday, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said about 112 children were being treated for malnutrition in Gaza hospitals each day.

Israel has closed most of Gaza's main crossings since March 2, blocking hundreds of aid and supply trucks. UN agencies say Gaza needs at least 500 trucks a day to meet basic needs, but often fewer than 50 are allowed in.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli military has been waging a deadly assault on Gaza since October, killing at least 56,412 Palestinians as of Saturday, most of them women and children, according to Gaza health officials.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Friday that nearly 100,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocide in Gaza, or about four percent of the Palestinian enclave’s population.

According to Haaretz, the high death toll is not solely the result of Israel’s brutal attacks. Many have also died from the indirect effects of the war, such as starvation, cold and disease amid the collapse of Gaza’s health system.

Earlier on Wednesday, a study published by Harvard Dataverse revealed that Israel has allegedly “disappeared” at least 377,000 Palestinians since the start of its genocide against the Gaza Strip in 2023.

Half of these are believed to be Palestinian children. The report was written by Israeli professor Yaakov Garb, as reported by The Cradle.

The report uses data-driven analysis and spatial mapping to show how Israel’s military siege of Gaza and indiscriminate attacks on Palestinian civilians in the enclave have led to a serious population decline.

The 377,000 Palestinians whose whereabouts are unknown due to Israel’s genocide represent roughly 17 percent of the Gaza Strip’s total population, which now numbers about 1.85 million.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in November issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its war on the enclave.

Editor's Choice: Haaretz: 100,000 Palestinians Dead in Gaza, Four Percent of Population

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