Over 40,000 infants at risk of death in Gaza due to Israeli ban on baby formula, authorities warn

ISTANBUL

More than 40,000 infants face the risk of death due to Israel’s continued ban on the entry of baby formula into Gaza, local authorities warned on Monday.

“There is an imminent risk of death for thousands of infants in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli occupation’s ban on the entry of baby formula,” the government media office said in a statement.

Gaza “is on the brink of an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe threatening the lives of tens of thousands of infants, as Israel has continuously blocked the entry of baby formula for 150 days in what amounts to a silent genocide.”

“There are over 40,000 babies under the age of one in Gaza at risk of slow death due to this criminal, suffocating blockade,” the office said.

It called for the immediate and unconditional opening of Gaza’s border crossings and urgent entry of baby formula and humanitarian aid.

The office held Israel, its supporters, and the international community “fully responsible for every innocent life lost as a result of this systematic blockade.”

Gaza’s hunger crisis has spiraled into a humanitarian catastrophe. Harrowing footage shows severely emaciated residents, some reduced to skin and bone, collapsing from exhaustion, dehydration, and prolonged starvation.

Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza for 18 years, and since March 2 has shut down all crossings, worsening humanitarian conditions in the enclave.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 147 Palestinians, including 88 children, have died from starvation and malnutrition since October 2023.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.

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.