ISTANBUL

In a makeshift tent sheltering the displaced Al-Motawwaq family in western Gaza City, one-and-a-half-year-old Mohammad lies motionless on a worn-out mattress. His frail body is a stark testament to the Israeli siege depriving Gaza’s 2.4 million residents of basic needs, including food and medicine.

Images of Mohammad, a toddler whose body has withered to skin and bones, have confronted the world with the grim reality of Israel’s starvation policy in the Gaza Strip.

Several Israeli accounts shared Mohammad’s photos in recent days, claiming that his medical condition caused him severe weight loss, not Israel’s starvation policy in the Gaza Strip.

However, Suzan Marouf, a clinical nutrition specialist at the Patient Friend’s Hospital, confirmed that Mohammad’s health deteriorated due to severe malnutrition that resulted from the ongoing Israeli siege.

Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza for 18 years, and since March 2 has sealed all border crossings, blocking the entry of humanitarian aid and worsening already dire conditions in the enclave.

When Mohammad’s family brought him to the hospital a month ago, doctors diagnosed him with moderate malnutrition on top of congenital health problems, including brain complications and muscle atrophy.

Marouf told Anadolu they had been trying to stabilize Mohammad’s condition with the last remaining nutritional supplements.

“The medical issues he had weren’t significantly affecting his weight,” Marouf said.

“But once the siege and the closure of crossings depleted hospitals’ medicine stocks and nutritional supplements, Mohammad’s condition deteriorated to acute malnutrition,” she added.

Marouf warned that child deaths from malnutrition could escalate in the coming days “if the current situation continues.”

Like many other hospitals in Gaza, Patient Friend’s now lacks supplements, baby formula, and even patient beds, forcing two children to share one bed.

Israeli war on children

Speaking to Anadolu, Mohammad’s mother, Hidaya Al-Motawwaq, said her son has lost nearly 3 kilograms in recent weeks.

“Before the latest displacement, Mohammad weighed 9 kilograms. At that time, food was available, and we could meet our children’s needs,” she said.

“But now the occupation is waging war on us and our children. The lack of food and the ongoing famine have deeply affected my son Mohammad,” she added.

The helpless mother recalled that after months of physical therapy and proper nutrition, Mohammad had been able to stand on his feet.

“He used to laugh like other children and eat well. But now, with skyrocketing prices, I can’t even provide him with formula milk or diapers.”

Following the family’s most recent displacement, Mohammad suffered a severe setback due to renewed malnutrition, leading to further muscle atrophy, serious health complications, and drastic weight loss that left him unable to stand or move.

The grieving mother said she is often forced to feed her son lentils or pasta obtained from distribution sites, even though such food is unsuitable for a child his age.

“Sometimes, when Mohammad wakes up crying at night, I give him water instead of milk—just to silence his hunger,” Hidaya said.

Appealing to the international community, she added, “Please look at my son Mohammad’s case and provide him with the most basic things — his daily milk and diapers.”

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 147 people, including 88 children, have died of starvation since Israel launched its relentless offensive in October 2023.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October. The unrelenting bombardment has devastated the enclave and triggered a deepening hunger crisis.

On Monday, Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of its healthcare system.

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