Malnutrition, hunger kills 7 infants in Gaza due to Israeli war, siege
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The inhumane Israeli blockade imposed by "Israel" on Gaza has led to tragic fatalities among infants that could have otherwise been prevented.
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A doctor carries the body of an unborn child, posthumously named Fatima, whose seven-month-pregnant mother Arij Marwan al-Banna was killed in an Israeli strike along with her two young daughters on Oct. 19, 2023 (AFP)
Seven Palestinian infants died from malnutrition and starvation in 24 hours in the Gaza Strip, according to the Information Office in Gaza, as reported by Anadolu.
In a statement released on Saturday, the office warned of an impending catastrophe unless the Israeli genocide halts and the blockade on Gaza is lifted.
The statement explicitly pointed the finger at the United States for the famine unfolding in Gaza.
In further detail, a two-month-old infant named Mahmoud Fattouh was one of the seven infants who died from malnutrition at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, as per media accounts. This comes in the aftermath of the United Nations issuing a caution about a potential surge in child fatalities resulting from "Israel's" aggression on the blockaded enclave.
"Israel's" siege on #Gaza is preventing the entry of food and water, putting a population of two million people at risk of dehydration, famine, and diseases.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) February 24, 2024
This situation has resulted in the malnutrition of lactating mothers, rendering them unable to breastfeed, and… pic.twitter.com/nnSPiI8UAu
The infant's death occurred as his family faced difficulties in procuring milk and essential provisions. A paramedic reported that Mahmoud was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to severe malnutrition, but sadly, he did not survive.
Mahmoud Fattouh, a two-month-old baby, was born during the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza. He died this morning as a result of malnutrition due to the ongoing Israeli war of starvation on northern region. pic.twitter.com/iS1q5DBU2L
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) February 24, 2024
The spokesperson for Gaza's Ministry of Health, Ashraf al-Qudra, indicated, on Saturday, that the critical conditions in the region, affecting over a million individuals with malnutrition, have intensified due to the Israeli occupation's refusal to provide necessary medical supplies and fuel to the northern part of the Strip.
The tragic death of Mahmoud and other infants in Gaza is attributed to the Israeli government's persistent rejection of international appeals for increased much-needed humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave.
UN agencies warn of 'explosion' in Gaza child deaths
The United Nations warned, last Monday, that an alarming lack of food, surging malnutrition, and the rampant spread of disease could spark an explosion in child deaths in Gaza.
Twenty weeks into the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, UN agencies warned that food and safe water had become "incredibly scarce" in the Palestinian territory, adding that virtually all young children had infectious illnesses.
"The Gaza Strip is poised to witness an explosion in preventable child deaths which would compound the already unbearable level of child deaths in Gaza," expressed Ted Chaiban, deputy head of humanitarian action at the UN children's agency UNICEF.
At least 90% of children under five in Gaza are affected by one or more infectious diseases, according to a joint assessment by the UN agencies for children, food, and health.
Seventy percent had had diarrhea in the two weeks prior to the assessment, marking a 23-fold increase compared to the 2022 baseline.
"Hunger and disease are a deadly combination," World Health Organization emergencies director Mike Ryan said in a statement.
"Hungry, weakened and deeply traumatised children are more likely to get sick, and children who are sick, especially with diarrhoea, cannot absorb nutrients well," he warned.
Since the start of the war, Gaza has been plunged into a nutrition crisis, with outside aid severely restricted by the Israeli occupation.
The UN assessment indicated that more than 15% of children under the age of two in northern Gaza -- one in six -- were acutely malnourished, while three percent were suffering from life-threatening severe wasting.
In short, "Israel's" siege on Gaza is preventing the entry of food and water, putting a population of two million people at risk of dehydration, famine, and diseases. This situation has resulted in the malnutrition of lactating mothers, rendering them unable to breastfeed, and exacerbating dehydration concerns. Tragically, the inhumane siege imposed by "Israel" on Gaza has led to tragic fatalities among infants that could have otherwise been prevented.
Read next: Euro-Med warns of starvation campaign in Gaza after infant death
