Hunger kills 2 more babies in besieged Gaza, death toll rises to 27

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Two more babies died of malnutrition in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday amid an Israeli blockade on the Palestinian enclave, according to medics.

The two infants lost their lives at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia city, Samer Labad, a pediatrician, told Anadolu.

“They died as the Israeli occupation refused to allow food and medical supplies into northern Gaza,” he said.

The Palestinian doctor warned that more children are at risk of death from malnutrition as a result of Israel’s ongoing blockade on the enclave.

“We appeal to the Red Cross and international agencies to urgently intervene to provide food and medical supplies to the residents of northern Gaza,” he added.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by the Palestinian group Hamas in which nearly 1,200 people were killed.

More than 31,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 72,700 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 27 people have died of malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza due to the Israeli blockade.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul