Cairo/Gaza, July 23: A six-week-old infant named Yousef al-Safadi was among 33 Palestinians who died of starvation in the Gaza Strip over the past 48 hours, marking one of the deadliest hunger-related periods since the start of the war nearly 21 months ago. Health officials in Gaza confirmed that three other victims were also children, including 13-year-old Abdulhamid al-Ghalban who died in a hospital in Khan Younis. The identities of the other two children have not been released.
According to Palestinian health authorities, at least 101 people, including 80 children, have succumbed to hunger since the conflict began, with a sharp rise in fatalities in recent weeks. Malnutrition is now killing civilians faster than ever, even as basic humanitarian aid remains out of reach for the majority of Gaza’s 2 million residents.
The humanitarian crisis is being further compounded by Israel’s control over aid entry into Gaza, which has been under an effective blockade since the war began. Most of Gaza’s population has been displaced multiple times and is facing extreme shortages of food, water, and medicine. Khalil al-Deqran, a spokesperson for the health ministry, said hospitals are overwhelmed and unable to cope with the rising number of hunger-related cases due to resource scarcity. He added that approximately 600,000 people, including 60,000 pregnant women, are currently suffering from malnutrition.
The United Nations’ Palestinian refugee agency reported that its staff, doctors, and aid workers are collapsing on duty due to hunger and exhaustion. Despite global condemnation of civilian casualties and worsening living conditions, there has been little to no change in the scale or speed of aid deliveries to Gaza.
The UN human rights office recently stated that over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed since May while attempting to access food, mainly near aid distribution sites managed by an Israeli-backed American contractor. These sites have increasingly become zones of chaos and danger amid deepening desperation.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the images of aid-related deaths as “unbearable” and called on Israel to follow through on its commitments to improve aid access. However, she stopped short of announcing any concrete steps from the European Union to address the situation.
In response to growing criticism, Israel’s military has rejected claims that it is blocking humanitarian aid, but ground realities, as described by UN officials and local health workers, paint a grim picture.
With no resolution in sight and hunger now claiming lives by the hour, Gaza teeters dangerously close to famine. The international community’s appeals have so far failed to halt the crisis or provide meaningful relief to a population under siege.
