The Gaza malnutrition crisis claimed at least 33 Palestinian lives, including 12 children, within just 48 hours, officials confirmed Wednesday. The Hamas-run health ministry reported 11 adults and four children died in one day alone from hunger-related complications.
At al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, doctors identified Ahmed al-Hasanat as among the latest to die from extreme malnutrition in Deir al-Balah. Meanwhile, in Khan Younis, 13-year-old Abdul Hamid al-Ghalban’s body was wrapped in a white shroud before burial at Nasser Hospital.
In Gaza City, a six-week-old boy, Yousef al-Safadi, died at al-Shifa Hospital due to starvation and lack of medical care. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned the Security Council that starvation now threatens every household inside Gaza.
Guterres urged Israel to fulfil legal obligations and allow life-saving aid to reach civilians through the UN and its partners. Israel claims it permits assistance while trying to ensure Hamas cannot intercept or misuse humanitarian supplies entering through its checkpoints.
The UN says restrictions, fighting, and fuel shortages severely limit its ability to collect and distribute essential aid on the ground. Aid groups, including MedGlobal, say children are dying from treatable hunger due to a lack of formula, IV fluids, and medicine.
MedGlobal reported five children died within three days, while cases of acute malnutrition tripled in their facilities since early July. The World Food Programme says 90,000 women and children urgently need nutrition support, with food prices skyrocketing across the Strip.
One kilogram of flour reportedly now costs more than $100, leaving most families entirely dependent on humanitarian food aid. The UN says it needs 600 aid trucks daily, yet only 27 enter Gaza on average due to heavy restrictions.
A new aid system using U.S. contractors bypasses the UN but has been linked to over 700 deaths near its distribution sites. With supplies blocked and violence intensifying, the malnutrition crisis shows no signs of easing without urgent international intervention.
