Starvation: A Systematic Zionist Crime Ravaging Gaza, Leaving 251 Dead—Including 108 Children
The Israeli enemy continues to commit what has been described as the “crime of the century” against the people of Gaza, using starvation as a weapon of war and genocide against more than two million besieged civilians for nearly two years.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Saturday that 11 more people died within just 24 hours due to famine and malnutrition, including one child—raising the total number of starvation victims to 251 martyrs, 108 of them children.
These figures are not mere statistics; they are a humanitarian outcry that exposes the brutality of the Israeli occupation, carried out under shameful international silence and with full U.S. and Western support for policies of siege and starvation.
Two Siblings Lost to Hunger… A Daily Tragedy
Among the newly deceased were siblings Mahmoud Suhail al-Dabba (16) and Hanan Suhail al-Dabba (25), who both succumbed at al-Shifa Hospital after a long struggle with illness worsened by famine.
Their story reflects the collective tragedy of thousands of patients and children whose bodies have withered into skeletal frames due to the absence of food and medicine.
Half a Million Lives at Risk
Rafat al-Majdalawi, director of the Al-Awda Health Association in Gaza, confirmed that about 550,000 people in the Strip are facing severe food shortages, stressing that hospitals are in catastrophic condition due to the lack of essential medical supplies.
This warning aligns with the World Food Programme’s findings that one-third of Gaza’s population has gone days without food, describing the situation as “an unprecedented level of hunger and despair.”
Women and Girls: Hunger and Violence Multiplied
UNRWA raised the alarm that one million women and girls in Gaza face collective famine, in addition to being exposed to violence and abuse while searching for food and water.
This reveals that the Israeli occupation not only starves civilians but also forces them into life-threatening danger with every step taken in pursuit of basic survival.
Hospitals on the Brink: Over 200 Patients at Risk of Death
Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of al-Shifa Medical Complex, reported that more than 200 patients are at immediate risk of death due to lack of medicine and malnutrition, while amputations are on the rise as infections outpace the remaining antibiotics.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces have kept all Gaza crossings sealed since March 2, preventing food, medicine, and fuel from entering, while hundreds of aid trucks pile up at the border, denied entry.
“Death Traps”: Systematic Killing of Aid Seekers
Starvation has gone beyond the blockade to direct targeting of civilians and aid workers. A recent UN report revealed that since late May, more than 1,760 Palestinians have been killed in so-called “death traps,” where Israeli forces bomb gatherings of civilians seeking aid.
The report documented 994 killed inside humanitarian centers and 766 killed en route to aid convoys, in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. Even convoy guards and emergency workers were not spared—what the UN called a “systematic pattern of targeting humanitarian efforts in Gaza.”
Gaza’s Children: Hunger, Bombing, and Amputations
Children remain the most heart-wrenching face of this catastrophe. Official reports confirm that more than 18,592 children have been killed since the beginning of the war, while over 50,000 have been wounded, including 4,000 amputees due to airstrikes.
The Ministry of Health also recorded over 5,100 cases of acute child malnutrition in a single month, including 636 children in critical condition, with no access to treatment or medical care.
These numbers prove that Israel is waging not only a military war but also a slow genocide through starvation—turning children’s lives into an open-ended tragedy.
A Full-Fledged War Crime
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights described the targeting of civilians and aid workers as part of a “systematic pattern of war crimes.” Amnesty International confirmed that the attacks on aid distribution centers amount to war crimes warranting international prosecution.
Yet despite UN condemnations, the blockade remains firmly in place, shielded by U.S. and Western cover that enables Israel’s sense of impunity.
Starvation and Systematic Killing
What is happening in Gaza is not a passing humanitarian crisis but rather a full-fledged genocide, carried out by the Israeli occupation through siege, starvation, and systematic killing—adding to its long record of crimes against the Palestinian people, openly endorsed by the United States and Western powers.
The **251 famine victims—including 108 children—**are only the beginning of terrifying numbers expected to rise as the slow-death policy continues.
In the face of this atrocity, the resilience of the Palestinian people remains legendary, while the blood of child martyrs testifies that the Israeli enemy has lost its last shred of humanity—and that its war is not only against armed resistance, but against bread, water, and milk for infants.