ANKARA

At least 67 children have died of hunger in Gaza since October 2023 as Israel’s total blockade of the territory enters its 103rd consecutive day, the Government Media Office in Gaza said in a statement Saturday.

The office warned that the number could rise dramatically, with more than 650,000 children aged under 5 now facing severe and life-threatening malnutrition in the coming weeks due to the continued denial of food, medicine, and fuel.

“Starvation is now killing what bombs have not,” the office noted, describing the ongoing siege as one of the “most extreme forms of collective punishment in modern history.”

The media office said “dozens of additional deaths had been recorded in just the past three days alone, as Israeli forces continue to block the entry of flour, infant formula, and vital nutritional and medical supplies.”

It accused Israel of “deliberately pursuing a policy of mass starvation.”

As of now, around 1.25 million people in Gaza are enduring catastrophic hunger, while 96% of the population, including over 1 million children, suffer from acute food insecurity, the office said.

It held Israel fully responsible for a “systematic and organized starvation campaign” and placed legal and moral blame on its international backers for their support or silence.

“We are sounding the alarm: this is a mass death sentence unfolding before the eyes of the world,” the office said. “Immediate international intervention is not optional, it’s a matter of life or death.”

In a related development, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) issued a warning Saturday about dire health consequences in the Gaza Strip caused by the ongoing Israeli blockade.

“No soap, no clean water. Children in Gaza can’t be bathed properly because of the ongoing siege,” said UNRWA in a statement.

“This, coupled with overcrowded shelters and summer heat, can lead to dire health consequences,” it added, stressing that “the siege must be lifted. UNRWA must be allowed to resume delivering humanitarian aid, including hygiene items, into Gaza.”

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 57,900 Palestinians so far, most of them women and children.

The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and the spread of diseases.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.