Mustafa Hijazi, 12, succumbed on Friday to severe malnutrition and dehydration amid a critical shortage of medical supplies at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, the report said.
Another child has died in the besieged Gaza Strip due to starvation and dehydration, bringing the total number of malnutrition-related deaths in the enclave to 40, according to medical sources cited by the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA.
Mustafa Hijazi, 12, succumbed on Friday to severe malnutrition and dehydration amid a critical shortage of medical supplies at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, the report said.
Medical sources previously reported that 50 children in northern Gaza are suffering from malnutrition and starvation.
According to reports from Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, about 50 children were suffering from malnutrition due to Israel’s blocking of humanitarian aid into the region, said WAFA.
12-year-old Mustafa Hijazi killed by malnutrition and dehydration caused by Israel's blockade of Gaza. https://t.co/MuS6NQ0RM0
— Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) June 14, 2024
Famine Looming
The sources told WAFA that “The specter of famine looms over Gaza, and signs of malnutrition are evident in some children. We are attempting to provide minimal medical services despite the fuel shortages.”
Relief officials and health experts have warned of famine in Gaza this Summer unless Israel lifts the restrictions on aid, stops the aggression, and restores vital services, the report said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently warned that many Gaza residents are facing “catastrophic levels of hunger and conditions resembling famine.”
Heart-wrenching: The mother of the Palestinian boy, Mustafa Hijazi, mourns the tragic loss of her beloved child, who succumbed to malnutrition and dehydration due to the Israeli blockade of border crossing. pic.twitter.com/rcW4FIornF
— V PALESTINE 🇵🇸 (@V_Palestine20) June 14, 2024
Horrific Images
On Tuesday, the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) warned that almost 3,000 children have been cut off from treatment for moderate and severe acute malnutrition in southern Gaza, putting them at risk of death.
“Horrific images continue to emerge from Gaza of children dying before their families’ eyes due to the continued lack of food, nutrition supplies, and the destruction of healthcare services,” said Adele Khor, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa in a statement.
“Unless treatment can be quickly resumed for these 3,000 children, they are at immediate and serious risk of becoming critically ill, acquiring life-threatening complications, and joining the growing list of boys and girls who have been killed by this senseless, man-made deprivation.”
This number, based on reporting from UNICEF’s nutrition partners, equates to approximately three-quarters of the 3,800 children who were estimated to be receiving life-saving care in the south ahead of the escalating conflict in Rafah.
Ongoing Genocide
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 37,232 Palestinians have been killed, and 85,037 wounded. Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
‘Nine out of 10 Children’ Suffer Severe Food Poverty in Gaza – UNICEF
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
(PC, WAFA)
Adolf who??…….