Gaza Starvation Crisis: Over 100 Dead, Including 89 Children, Amid Ongoing Israeli Blockade

GAZA CITY, July 23: A deepening humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in the Gaza Strip, where starvation and malnutrition have claimed the lives of at least 101 Palestinians, 89 of them children, according to the latest report by the Palestinian Health Ministry. The figures highlight a growing crisis as Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid continues into its fourth month.

In just the past 24 hours alone, 15 more people, including four children, died from hunger-related complications. Health officials describe the situation as a “silent massacre,” blaming both the Israeli occupation and the international community for failing to act.

“This is a silent massacre. The Ministry of Health holds the Israeli occupation and the international community fully responsible. We urgently call for the immediate opening of all crossings to allow the entry of food and medicine,” said a statement from Gaza’s Health Ministry.

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), more than 1.25 million people in Gaza are currently living under catastrophic hunger conditions, with 96% of the population facing extreme food insecurity. Over 650,000 children under five are at immediate risk of acute malnutrition, the Gaza Media Office reports.

“We have 17,000 children suffering from severe malnutrition. This is a generation being starved to death,” said the Director of Al-Shifa Hospital, adding that his hospital is overwhelmed, with insufficient beds and medicines to treat the growing number of starvation victims.

Symptoms among the malnourished include exhaustion, memory loss, and collapse from hunger. The United Nations has warned that hundreds of people are now beyond recovery, their bodies too weak to respond to treatment.

Since March 2, Israel has closed Gaza’s main crossings, halting the flow of essential supplies. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned in May that nearly a quarter of Gaza’s civilian population would face catastrophic food insecurity (Phase 5) in the coming weeks if the situation remains unchanged.

Though some aid is being distributed through the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)—an organization backed by Israel and the U.S.—its operations have been widely condemned. Most UN agencies and humanitarian groups have distanced themselves from GHF, citing its politicized delivery methods, limited geographic coverage, and contribution to forced displacement in Gaza.

“The GHF’s aid model violates core humanitarian principles,” a UN official said. “It forces civilians to travel dangerous distances, only to face gunfire in chaotic aid drops.”

Desperate attempts to obtain food have turned deadly. Since GHF operations began on May 27, Israeli forces and allied contractors have allegedly killed over 900 aid seekers and injured more than 60,000, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Another 46 people are missing after heading to aid collection sites.

“Palestinians are being slaughtered at what were supposed to be aid sites. These are not food lines; they’re death traps,” said a spokesperson for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) described the use of starvation as a war tactic as potentially constituting crimes against humanity.

“Every day, Palestinians are met with carnage in their attempts to receive the insufficient aid trickling into Gaza,” said MSF.

International organizations, including the Red Cross, UN, and Euro-Med Monitor, continue to sound the alarm, calling for immediate and unhindered humanitarian access.

“No one should have to risk their life to get basic humanitarian assistance,” said Jagan Chapagain, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Despite mounting international pressure, Israel has denied allegations of starvation, instead accusing Hamas of manipulating aid and prolonging the conflict. Aid groups, however, maintain that the starvation crisis is real, systemic, and worsening daily.

As famine looms, humanitarian actors warn that time is running out.