Starvation as a weapon: Over 900 dead in Gaza's famine catastrophe

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza warned in a statement that the humanitarian crisis has reached a “catastrophic” stage, with over 2 million residents of Gaza now facing acute hunger.

As reported by Shehab News Agency, the statement stressed that the Israeli occupation is deliberately using hunger as a weapon against the people of Gaza. While children are dying of starvation, the world remains indifferent and ignores the cries for help from Gaza’s civilians.

According to the Ministry of Health, at least 71 children have so far died due to hunger and malnutrition. Additionally, over 900 people who were simply trying to secure the bare minimum for survival have been killed, and 6,000 others have been wounded.

Health officials have warned that the ongoing prevention of medicine and medical equipment from entering Gaza has led to the near-total collapse of the healthcare system in the Strip.

At the end of the statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Health called on international organizations and responsible nations to immediately pressure the Israeli regime to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The Government Media Office in Gaza also issued a statement warning that the region is heading toward an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.

According to this statement, over 2.4 million residents of Gaza, including 1.1 million children, are facing genocide through mass killings and starvation.

The office said that after more than 140 days of complete closure of all crossings by the occupying regime and the ban on the entry of humanitarian aid, food, medicine, baby formula, and fuel, the crisis in Gaza has reached its peak. Food and medical supplies have been exhausted, and the policies of extreme blockade and systematic starvation continue.

The Government Media Office strongly criticized the international silence in the face of this genocide and mass killing of Gaza’s people, describing the current situation as “the largest mass killing in modern history.”

The Director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex also told Al Jazeera: “The death toll from hunger will rise in the coming hours. We are facing genocide and mass murder through starvation of Gaza’s population. Medical staff and patients have gone an entire day without even a single meal. In less than an hour, the hospital received 16 bodies and 80 wounded due to hunger.”