Gaza Humanitarian Crisis Deepens: Over 120 Starvation Deaths as Infants Face Imminent Risk Amid Israeli Blockade
Gaza Humanitarian Crisis Deepens: Over 120 Starvation Deaths as Infants Face Imminent Risk Amid Israeli Blockade
Gaza City – The humanitarian disaster in Gaza is intensifying, with more than 120 people, including over 80 children, confirmed dead from malnutrition as Israel’s blockade and ongoing military assault continue. Two more infants have died from starvation, raising fears of a mass catastrophe as essential supplies remain blocked from entering the besieged enclave.
Infants and Children at Critical Risk
Gaza’s Government Media Office issued a dire warning, stating that 100,000 children under two years old, including 40,000 infants, are at immediate risk of death due to a total lack of baby formula and nutritional supplements.
Officials described the situation as a “deliberate mass killing,” explaining that many desperate mothers have been forced to feed their infants only water for days as baby milk has run out.
“This is an unprecedented humanitarian disaster being deliberately inflicted on Gaza’s youngest,” the office said.
Intensified Israeli Strikes and Rising Casualties
Alongside the worsening hunger crisis, at least 25 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since Saturday morning, including 13 people waiting for food aid.
The Israeli army confirmed that its forces conducted over 100 airstrikes within 24 hours across Gaza, targeting what it described as “terror infrastructure” in Khan Younis and other areas. The military said its 36th Division was expanding combat operations while destroying tunnels and weapons caches.
Civil Defence teams also recovered 12 bodies from the Morag area near Rafah, transferring the remains to Nasser Hospital. Many bodies remain missing due to Israel’s creation of two military corridors separating Rafah and Khan Younis from the rest of Gaza.
UK Calls for Immediate Humanitarian Action
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned the ongoing crisis, calling the scenes of starvation “utterly horrifying.” Writing in the Daily Mirror, Starmer stressed:
“The denial of humanitarian aid to children and babies is completely unjustifiable. This humanitarian catastrophe must end now.”
Starmer announced that the UK, working with Jordan, is scaling up efforts to airdrop aid into Gaza and evacuate critically ill children for treatment in the UK, despite delays in humanitarian access.
Ceasefire Talks and International Tensions
Ceasefire negotiations remain fraught. Senior Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim that Palestinian negotiators were not serious about a deal, accusing Washington of shielding the Netanyahu government.
Al-Risheq stated that Hamas had “shown significant flexibility” and urged the US to stop providing Israel with “political and military cover” as the humanitarian crisis deepens.
The Growing Humanitarian Emergency
The death toll from malnutrition continues to rise, including the recent death of a seven-day-old infant at Gaza City’s al-Ahli Hospital due to a lack of milk. Another baby, Zainab Abu Halib, also recently died from starvation.
As the blockade tightens and military operations escalate, aid groups warn that thousands of infants could die within days without urgent international intervention to allow food, medical supplies, and baby formula into Gaza.
