10-year-old boy dies of malnutrition, starvation in Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
14 Jun 2024 14:46
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The death toll resulting from malnutrition continues mounting as "Israel" deliberately starves Palestinians and blocks humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza.

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10-year-old Mustafa Hijazi dies of malnutrition and starvation in Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza, June 14, 2024. (Press TV)

Another Palestinian child was killed by the Israeli occupation's war crime of imposed starvation amid the genocidal war in Gaza.

According to local Palestinian media, 10-year-old Mustafa Hijazi died on Thursday from malnutrition in Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza.

The child Mustafa Hijazi has died due to dehydration and malnutrition in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/zCG6GFrlDh
— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) June 14, 2024

Mohammad's martyrdom raises the death toll resulting from malnutrition and starvation after it previously stood at 32 as per the World Health Organization's documentation, which includes 28 children under the age of five.

On Wednesday, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained that a significant portion of Gaza now faces "catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions. Despite reports of increased delivery of food, there is currently no evidence that those who need it most are receiving sufficient quantity and quality of food."

The chief added that the WHO and partners have ramped up nutrition services.

More than 8,000 children under the age of five have been identified and treated for acute malnutrition, including 1,600 with severe acute malnutrition.

Due to instability and an absence of access, only two stabilization centers for critically malnourished patients are operational, he noted.

200K children showing symptoms of malnutrition in North Gaza

Approximately 50 children are experiencing malnutrition and starvation in the northern area of the region due to the Israeli total blockade on Gaza, as per a Sunday statement by Husam Abu Safiya, the director of Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital.

"Around 50 children suffering from malnutrition have been counted in just one week, and the specter of famine looms over Gaza,” the statement read.

He further noted that at least 200,000 Palestinian children have shown symptoms of malnutrition.

"The health system in Gaza is a target of the [Israeli] occupation, but we are trying to resume medical services at a minimum despite fuel shortages," it added.

The director of Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital also cautioned that the situation across the territory is dire, with Israeli forces blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid by closing Gaza's major crossings, notably Rafah and Karem Abu Salem.