‘Indescribable’ Crisis: Malnutrition Soars Among Gaza’s Children as Israeli Operations Expand in Deir al Balah
LONDON / DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip – July 23 (Voice of Malaysia): As Israeli military operations intensify in central Gaza, a worsening humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in real time—most tragically for children and mothers caught in the grip of hunger and displacement.
At Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah, roughly 30 children are currently receiving treatment for acute malnutrition, doctors told ABC News. Among them is 5-month-old Haya, whose mother, Nourhan Salha, said her daughter fell ill due to a lack of nutrition and baby formula. Born with complications, Haya’s already weakened immune system has deteriorated under Gaza’s crippling blockade and collapsing health infrastructure.
“It’s a difficult feeling to see my daughter sick,” Nourhan said. “And I can’t do anything for her. It’s a really hard thing for a mother to feel like this; it’s indescribable.”
Israeli authorities maintain that there is no ban on baby formula, claiming more than 2,000 tons have been delivered into Gaza. But on the ground, families say baby formula is nearly impossible to find—either due to shortages or exorbitant black-market prices.
UN agencies, including UNRWA and the United Nations Population Fund, report that malnutrition is now widespread. One in ten children screened at UN medical centers is malnourished, and pregnant women face increased risks of miscarriage, low birth weight, and complications due to food scarcity.
“My daughter wants to eat, and I can’t give her anything,” said Om Ismael Abu Zannana, a displaced mother of three whose 2-year-old daughter fainted from hunger. “I have nothing for her, or for myself, or my other children.”
At Deir al Balah’s once-bustling market, shelves are now largely bare. Shopkeeper Ayed Shaheen said the situation is becoming unlivable.
“Prices are unimaginable; the situation is tragic,” Shaheen told ABC News. He also criticized both Hamas and Israeli leadership, calling on negotiators to end the suffering. “We are humans, not dogs. We want to eat and live, just like you.”
According to the World Food Programme, over 90,000 women and children in Gaza urgently require treatment for malnutrition. However, with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) escalating ground operations, humanitarian corridors remain blocked or unsafe, cutting off aid to key areas.
On Sunday, the IDF issued new evacuation orders in Deir al Balah, further severing access between the tent-filled coastal zone of Al Mawasi and the rest of central Gaza, where most humanitarian aid is based.
Israel continues to deny allegations of widespread starvation, accusing Hamas of diverting aid to fuel its military operations. Nonetheless, international agencies and witnesses paint a starkly different picture.
From the market, smoke from airstrikes can now be seen rising in the distance, inching ever closer to civilian areas that have already been pushed to the brink.
“I ask the world to stop the war,” Nourhan pleaded. “Open the borders and provide milk and diapers for the children. It’s not fair what’s happening to us.”
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