GAZA CITY, Palestine/ISTANBUL

A Palestinian man with diabetes died from severe malnutrition in central Gaza on Tuesday, as doctors and aid workers warn of a sharp increase in famine-related deaths under Israel’s continued blockade and military assault.

Medical staff at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah city said Ahmed Mohammed Al-Hasanat, 43, died from complications of untreated diabetes and prolonged undernourishment. His death came amid deepening shortages of food and medicine throughout the territory.

Palestinian authorities and rights groups say hunger-related deaths are surging, particularly among vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and patients with chronic illnesses.

On Monday night, a 32-year-old Palestinian woman died at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Health workers said her weight dropped dramatically from 50 kilograms to just 25 kilograms in recent months, as food supplies dwindled under the Israeli siege.

On Sunday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 86 people -- including 76 children -- have died of malnutrition in Gaza since October 2023.

Gaza is now facing one of the worst humanitarian disasters in its history. The spread of hunger has accelerated since March 2, when Israeli forces shut all border crossings, halting the entry of food, fuel, and medical aid.

Severe malnutrition symptoms have become widespread, particularly among children and chronically ill patients.

Israel has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. Relentless bombing has destroyed the enclave, almost collapsed the health system, and created famine-like conditions.

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.