As Israel’s severe restrictions on aid entering Gaza drain essential supplies, displaced Palestinians told CNN they are struggling to feed their children.
Starving mothers are unable to produce enough milk to breastfeed their babies, doctors say. Parents arrive at overwhelmed health facilities begging for infant formula.
At least 20 Palestinians have starved to death in Gaza, Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, said on Wednesday. The youngest baby who died of starvation was one day old, according to Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan hospital. The true number could be even higher, as limited access to northern Gaza has hindered the ability of aid agencies to fully assess the situation there.
Israel insists there is “no limit” on the amount of aid that can enter Gaza, but its inspection regime on aid trucks has meant that only a tiny fraction of the amount of food and other supplies that used to enter Gaza daily before the war is getting in now. Last week, at least 118 people were killed while trying to access food aid in Gaza City in one of the worst single tragedies of the war so far.
Jamie McGoldrick, a UN humanitarian coordinator who just returned from a two-day trip to Gaza, warned Thursday that hunger there has reached “catastrophic levels.” Adele Khodr, regional director of the UNICEF office in the Middle East and North Africa, said earlier this week that “people are hungry, exhausted and traumatized. Many are clinging to life.”
Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza after the militant group Hamas killed at least 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250 others in southern Israel on October 7.
Abhinav Thawait is a globe-trotting correspondent with a passion for international affairs. With a background in international relations, he offers a global perspective on the most pressing issues around the world. Abhinav’s curiosity takes his to the far corners of the earth, where he seeks to share untold stories and diverse viewpoints.
