ANKARA

A Palestinian teen died from severe malnutrition in the Gaza Strip, a direct result of Israel's ongoing blockade and restrictions on aid, a medical source told Anadolu on Saturday.

The teenager, identified as 17-year-old Atef Abu Khater, succumbed to complications related to prolonged hunger and lack of access to adequate nutrition, the source said.

The new fatality brought the death toll from starvation in Gaza since October 2023 to 163, including 93 children.

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.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification platform, the "worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza."