Gaza's Silent Crisis: Children Starve as Aid Struggles to Reach Them

In Gaza, a young girl named Razan Abu Zaher, just four years old, lost her life due to severe hunger. Her story is not alone. Many children and adults are suffering from malnutrition, with at least 76 kids and 10 adults having died since the conflict started in October 2023. The situation worsened when Israeli authorities imposed a blockade in March, cutting off much-needed aid. Razan was one of four children who died in just three days. Her mother, Tahrir Abu Daher, shared that they couldn't afford milk, which was scarce anyway. Razan's health deteriorated rapidly after the war began. She spent her final days in the hospital, fighting a battle she couldn't win. The blockade has made it incredibly difficult for aid to reach Gaza. Although the ban was partially lifted in May, the amount of aid entering is still far from enough. Israel claims that Hamas is stealing the aid, but Hamas denies this. The United Nations says Israeli forces often deny permission to move aid within Gaza, leaving much-needed supplies stuck at the border. Gaza has always relied heavily on aid and commercial shipments of food. The scarcity since March has overwhelmed hospitals, which are already struggling to cope. Dr. Khalil Al-Daqran, a spokesman for al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital, described the situation as the worst phase of famine, with infants dying from lack of basic necessities like milk and bread. The Palestinian health ministry reports that an unprecedented number of starving people are arriving at hospitals, severely weakened and at risk of death. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights shared that people in Gaza are barely recognizable due to extreme emaciation. Dr. Suhaib Al-Hams, director of Kuwait field hospital, said that people arriving there are in dire need of food before medicine. In their desperation, thousands risk their lives daily to find food. Over 70 people were killed in northern Gaza on a single day while trying to access aid. The Israel Defense Forces claimed they fired warning shots to remove an immediate threat, but the details are still being examined. Nearly 800 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access aid between late May and July 7, according to the UN. The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, told the UN Security Council that food is running out in Gaza. He mentioned that starvation rates among children reached their highest levels in June, with more than 5, 800 kids diagnosed as acutely malnourished. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs received troubling reports of malnourished children and adults being admitted to hospitals with little resources available to treat them properly.