At least 66 children have perished due to malnutrition in Gaza during the Israeli conflict, according to Palestinian authorities, who attribute these deaths to an intensified Israeli blockade preventing the entry of essential food and nutritional aides. The Gaza Government Media Office released a statement condemning the blockade as a “war crime” and accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon against civilians. They also criticized the international community’s silence regarding the plight of children suffering from hunger and disease. The Office urged international intervention and held Israel and its allies, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, accountable for the crisis.
This situation arises amid a backdrop of increased Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, resulting in the loss of at least 60 Palestinian lives, including 20 individuals killed in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City. The media office condemns these actions as a heinous crime against children in Gaza and emphasizes the urgent need for humanitarian aid access.
In light of these developments, the UN’s children agency, UNICEF, warns of an alarming increase in child malnutrition cases in the Gaza Strip. In May alone, over 5,000 children aged between 6 months and 5 years old were treated for acute malnutrition, marking a significant increase from previous months and signaling a dire need for immediate assistance. UNICEF’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edouard Beigbeder, calls for immediate action, emphasizing that these children’s suffering is preventable and that their required food, water, and nutritional treatments are being blocked from reaching them.
Despite these warnings, Palestinians continue to mourn the victims of ongoing Israeli attacks. In the Tuffah neighborhood, after two consecutive Israeli strikes decimated several residential buildings, some nine of the victims were children. Local residents express despair and confusion over the targeting of civilian areas and call for international support and action.
The conflict has also seen violent incidents directed at humanitarian aid distribution points. Israeli forces have reportedly killed over 550 individuals, including those seeking aid from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), indicating a dangerous environment for those attempting to access essential supplies. While the GHF remains a critical source of food in the area, its operations have been criticized by aid groups and international leaders for the militarized nature of its aid distribution and for causing casualties among those seeking food assistance.
Chris Doyle, the director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, decries the GHF’s operations as an affront to global humanitarian principles and urges for the establishment of safe, neutral, and independent aid delivery systems. He highlights the alarming situation as yet another example of Israel’s lack of accountability under international law and calls for the dismantling of the current aid distribution system to prevent further loss of life.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/29/at-least-66-children-dead-of-malnutrition-in-gaza-as-israel-tightens-siege?traffic_source=rss
