Two-Month-Old Infant Dies of Malnutrition in Gaza Amid Israeli Blockade
A two-month-old infant has died of malnutrition in northern Gaza as Israel continues to block humanitarian aid, including baby formula, from entering the war-torn enclave for over three months.
Ahmed Tleib died on Thursday of malnutrition in the Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, according to local and medical sources.
A total of 18,741 children in Gaza have been admitted for treatment of acute malnutrition since the beginning of this year, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). This comes amid a months-long Israeli blockade, with Gaza’s entire population now facing high levels of acute food insecurity.
In the first two weeks of June alone, there were 1,648 new admissions, with 17 of the patients suffering from complications, it said.
“The current volume and pace of deliveries remain critically insufficient to meet the needs of Gaza’s entire population, which is facing high levels of acute food insecurity,” OCHA said.
“Consistent, frequent, large-scale deliveries through crossings are urgently needed to meet needs and stabilize availability, pricing, and affordability of wheat flour and other basic staples as well as reduce tensions and rebuild trust within communities. All UN-supported bakeries remain closed,” it added.
Last week, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza warned that premature and newborn babies could die due to a critical shortage of baby formula and therapeutic milk.
Dr. Ahmad Al-Farra, Director of Pediatrics at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, described the situation as a “catastrophe” and issued an urgent appeal to the international community, including specialized agencies and human rights organizations such as UNICEF and the World Health Organization, to take immediate action and pressure Israel to allow the entry of essential infant formula and medical aid into Gaza.
On March 2, Israel announced the closure of Gaza’s main crossings, cutting off food, medical and humanitarian supplies, worsening a humanitarian crisis for 2.3 million Palestinians, according to reports by human rights organisations who have accused it of using starvation as a weapon of war against Palestinains.
An Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report last month warned that almost a quarter of the civilian population would face catastrophic levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase Five) in the coming months.
After more than 80 days of total blockade, starvation, and growing international outrage, limited aid has allegedly been distributed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a scandal-plagued organization backed by the US and Israel, created to bypass the UN’s established aid delivery infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.
Israel continues to severely restrict the amount of food entering the war-battered Strip with the UN confirming that it is still blocking food from reaching starving Palestinians and only a few trucks of aid reaching Gaza.
Most humanitarian organisations, including the UN, have distanced themselves from GHF, arguing that the group violates humanitarian principles by restricting aid to south and central Gaza, requiring Palestinians to walk long distances to collect aid, and only providing limited aid, among other critiques.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned that “weaponizing aid in this manner may constitute crimes against humanity.”
“Every day Palestinians are met with carnage in their attempts to receive supplies from the insufficient amount of aid trickling into Gaza,” MSF said.
The commissioner-general of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, condemned the “lethal” US-Israel aid distribution mechanism in Gaza. In a post on X, Lazzarini indicated that Palestinian lives “have been so devalued”.
“It is now the routine to shoot & kill desperate & starving people while they try to collect little food from a company made of mercenaries,” he said.
“Inviting starving people to their death is a war crime. Those responsible of this system must be held accountable. This is a disgrace & a stain on our collective consciousness.”