Gaza Crisis: Hunger, Malnutrition, Starvation Amidst ‘LETHAL’ Lack of Water

Gaza Crisis: Eid Ul Adha in a town stalked by bombardment, constant military encroachment, and widespread starvation looks devastating. As Gazans prepare for dull festivities amidst wrecked buildings, broken roads, and rubbles of mosques under the shadow of Israeli attacks, they are left with little to nothing to celebrate.

Most have lost multiple family members to the war. Thousands of children are now orphans. And amidst all the hunger looms, the threat of malnutrition and starvation.

50,000 Gaza Children in Urgent Need of Malnutrition Treatment

Continued restrictions on humanitarian aid, especially after the attacks in Rafah, have led millions of Gazan children to extreme hunger. A recent UN report highlights that over 50,000 of these children are facing acute malnutrition and need urgent treatments.

Malnutrition has already started taking the lives of innocent children in Gaza. Fayiz Abu Ataya, born into Isreale’s genocide, has little time to make a mark in his seven months of life. Abu’s death last week rang bells about the deepening crisis of Gaza’s malnutrition and starvation across the world.

Till now, at least 30 children have lost the battle against malnutrition, with the majority of deaths reported in the north. Experts say if the ready-to-use therapeutic food doesn’t reach the malnourished children in time, treatment of over 3,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition will be in danger.

Before, humanitarian and medical help seeped into southern Gaza through the Egypt corridor. But with the Rafah crossing closed, Israel’s war has choked aid even through Kerem Shalom. This has resulted in a two-third drop in aid since last week, reported the UN figures.

Starvation in Gaza: A Slow-Motion Tragedy

The tragedy brought out by diminishing food and medical aid spread across the region is threatening everyone in the southern enclave. A joint statement by twenty international aid agencies shows that death from starvation, lack of medical assistance, and diseases are accelerating in Gaza.

UNICEF also says the real number of deaths from malnutrition is much higher since the majority of the cases don’t even reach hospitals. Margaret Harris, a WHO spokeswoman, said that 85% of Gazan children under the age of 5 had spent at least one day without food.

Skyrocketing prices of groceries, limited supplies, and desperation are making it even more difficult for parents to provide for their kids. But, sadly, it’s not the only risk facing innocents in the region.

Lack of clear water and sanitation also exposes children to infectious diseases. Coupled with most hospital and clinic closures and overcrowding of wounded and diseased patients, parents struggle to provide primary health care, let alone close monitoring and treatment for malnourishment.

Moreover, aid agencies are no longer able to evacuate children for urgent treatment from the war zone.

Food Insecurity in the Gaza Crisis

Due to lawlessness born out of desperation and exhaustion, aid workers find it increasingly challenging to deliver necessities on time. This, along with the active conflict spreading in the middle and southern areas, means the WFP is unable to meet the aid needs in the region.

“It’s getting harder to do our job.”

Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director of WFP, after his two-day mission to the war-torn region

The escalating violence and insecurity amidst a large security vacuum is threatening even the aid workers.

A majority of aid worker’s time is also wasted on checkpoints. For example, despite having all the approval, a truck of medical and malnutrition supplies for 10,000 children takes about 13 hours to make a 40-kilometer round trip in average Gazan terrain. In some cases, even then, the trucks are returned.

UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, recalling the critical situation, says that “more of my UN colleagues have been killed in the Israel-Gaza war in eight months than any other conflict aided by the United Nations.”

The Long-Term Damage of Gaza Crisis

Even prior to the current genocide, 1.2 million Gazans were facing acute food insecurity. Meanwhile, 80% were reliant on humanitarian aid for survival.

For over 16 years, Israel has maintained overarching control over the region, including the movement of goods, people, and even territorial water. These unlawful closures forced the residents to depend entirely on their prosecutors to access medicine, food, electricity, and other necessities. However, since October 7, most of this movement was forced shut.

The long-term consequence of the Gaza crisis is terrifying – especially for the children. The physical, emotional, and psychological damage of the war is beyond our comprehension.

Take the mournful case of Omar, for example.

During his initial visit in November, James sat with a young boy, Omar, who had lost his mother, father, and twin brothers to the war. Omar used to close his eyes and remember the happy memories of his family. He said he did not want to lose the precious memories, as he had lost them on the ground.

Now, sadly, Omar is no longer able to recall the face of his parents. This shows the mental toll of the war on Gazan children, who are consistently surrounded by lasting violence, lost families, and death everywhere.

A ceasefire will give these children proper food, water, and physical and mental support. It’ll let the aid agencies provide safe assistance and hostage homes. But even after all this catastrophic damage, the war continues.