Two more children die of starvation as Gaza famine deepens

Two more Palestinian children have died from starvation and malnutrition in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, as Israel’s inhumane blockade continues to choke off vital food and aid supplies to the coastal territory. 

Medical sources said on Saturday that the latest deaths brought the total number of starvation-related fatalities to 459, including 154 children.

According to the latest figures from Palestinian health authorities, since the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared famine in the Gaza Strip in August, 181 deaths have been recorded, including 39 children.

The report published by the UN-backed expert panel confirmed that Israel’s nearly two-year war had pushed parts of Gaza into a “man-made” famine. The panel warned that by the end of September, nearly a third of Gaza’s total population would face famine conditions.

The IPC report also fueled growing international outcry over Israel’s continued use of starvation to inflict genocide against Palestinians.

In a related development, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) highlighted the deaths of a nine-year-old girl, identified as Jana, and her two-year-old sister, Jouri, who both died of acute malnutrition in August and September in northern Gaza.

UNICEF communication manager Tess Ingram said in a video message that Jana had been treated in hospital for malnutrition in 2024 and recovered, only to relapse and waste away on September 17 this year.

She said the world “failed Jana so many times — failed her on food, twice.”

“A little girl forced to endure so much pain because of deliberate decisions that were made to restrict the entry of food into the Gaza Strip.”

Hamas: Israel uses starvation as weapon in Gaza to exterminate all Palestinians

Hamas said Smotrich’s statements represent a public call to continue Israel’s crimes in Gaza until all the Palestinian people are exterminated or displaced.

According to Ingram, UNICEF had originally evacuated Jana for treatment in southern Gaza more than a year ago, where she recovered. “I remember holding her frail little hand and helping her into the ambulance,” she said.

Once Jana recovered, she and her mother returned to northern Gaza to be with their family during a ceasefire earlier this year. But Israel’s continued blockade of aid allowed hunger to return, claiming the life of Jana’s sister, Jouri, on August 20.

At the time, the UNICEF worker warned that Jana was “barely hanging on” in a Gaza City hospital where she was receiving treatment.

“Her last hope — medical evacuation out of the Gaza Strip — failed her. No country stepped up and was able to get Jana out,” Ingram said.

According to UNICEF, the story of Jana and her sister is a “devastating reminder that children’s lives in Gaza are put at risk not just by airstrikes, but also by the living conditions.”

“This war must end now. Aid must be allowed into the Gaza Strip, including food and nutrition supplies. Humanitarians must be allowed to do their jobs,” Ingram added.

Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, coupled with its fishing ban and intensified offensive in the north, has further restricted access to food for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians.

According to Michael Fakhri, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, the Israeli regime “has built the most efficient starvation machine you can imagine.”

He said, “Israel is using food and aid as a weapon to humiliate, weaken, displace, and kill Palestinians in Gaza.” 

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