LONDON

A 20-year-old Palestinian woman died from malnutrition in Italy just a day after evacuating from the Gaza Strip, local media reported on Saturday.

Marah Abu Zuhri, who arrived in Italy less than 24 hours ago from Gaza on a military flight from the 46th Air Brigade as part of the Italian government's humanitarian operation, died on Friday in Pisa, ANSA news agency reported.

According to the report, she was severely malnourished when the flight landed on Thursday night, alongside other Palestinian patients and their families.

Zuhri, accompanied by her mother, was immediately taken to Cisanello Hospital because she was in critical condition.

In a statement, the University Hospital of Pisa (AOUP) expresses its "deepest condolences" for the young woman's death.

Starvation and malnutrition continue to claim lives in Gaza amid a crippling Israeli blockade that has choked off food and medical supplies. The total number of starvation-related deaths now stands at 240, including 107 children.

Since May 27, Israeli forces have killed 1,898 Palestinians and injured 14,113 more as they tried to access humanitarian aid.

Israel’s siege on the enclave, which intensified in March with the closure of all crossings, has plunged Gaza’s 2.4 million residents into a deep humanitarian crisis marked by famine, disease, and the collapse of basic services.

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.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its war on the enclave.