Rabat — The death toll from Israel-induced starvation in Gaza is soaring at an alarmingly high rate, taking the lives of civilians including children.
The Gaza Ministry of Health has reported 15 deaths, including 4 children, in the past 24 hours from starvation and malnutrition in the enclave, as Israel continues weaponizing food and aid entry.
The world-wide condemned food blockade is increasingly bringing the genocide-torn city of Gaza into one of the worst humanitarian crises in history.
In a statement, the ministry said that “hospitals in Gaza reported 15 deaths, including four children, due to starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours,” bringing the death toll from malnutrition to 101, with 80 of them children.
The Israeli approach is based on a dual strategy: by hampering the entry of food to Gaza, the occupation leaves civilians with little to no choice but to visit militarized distribution points.
The first option leaves Gazans face-to-face with death from malnutrition and starvation, while the second brings them to areas subject to Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) attacks.
At least 51 Palestinians, have reportedly been killed by IOF bombs and snipers in the past 24 hours while scrambling for aid at these designated areas.
In response to the dire and inhumane situation in the enclave, more than 25 countries have signed a joint statement calling Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the genocide and allow immediate entry of food and aid to Gaza.
For his part, the chief of UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini indicated that doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers in Gaza are “fainting due to hunger and exhaustion.”
“No one is spared: caretakers in Gaza are also in need of care. Doctors, nurses, journalists and humanitarians are hungry,” he said.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa argued today that “statements of condemnation and denunciation are no longer sufficient” in the backdrops of the current dreadful situation.
The minister urged international powers for concrete action against Israel’s strategic weaponization of food.
He asserted that dire situation in Gaza needs “immediate and sustained international pressure to open all crossings without delay, ensure the unconditional and unhindered entry of adequate humanitarian aid, and ensure that this aid reaches every person in need.”
Israel has closed all border crossings to Gaza since March 2, denying entry of food and medical aid that has caused acute malnutrition to all the population, but particularly children and chronically ill patients.
