Gaza Media Office Says 3,500 Palestinian Children at Risk of Starving To Death

All the children are under the age of five and suffering from acute malnutrition and exposure to infectious diseases

Gaza’s Government Media Office released a statement on Monday that said over 3,500 Palestinian children under the age of five are at risk of starving to death in Gaza due to the Israeli siege.

The media office said the children are suffering from “acute malnutrition, affecting their bodies, exposing them to infectious diseases, hindering their growth, and threatening their survival.”

The statement said the children were at risk of dying due to “a severe shortage of milk and food, a lack of nutritional supplements, and the denial of vaccinations.” The media office pointed to the fact that the Rafah border crossing has been closed since May 7, and barely any aid has entered Gaza since then.

On Saturday, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that a 13-year-old boy died due to malnutrition. “A 13-year-old Palestinian child has died due to starvation in Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip amidst the closure of the Rafah border crossing,” the report said.

Wafa added that so far, 37 Palestinians have died of malnutrition and dehydration due to the Israeli restrictions on aid, although it’s unclear if every starvation death has been recorded. Gaza’s Health Ministry’s latest death toll update said at least 36,479 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military operations since October 7.

The US continues to arm Israel and support the slaughter and starvation of Palestinians despite US laws prohibiting military aid to countries that block humanitarian assistance shipments. The State Department claimed in a report that Israel was not blocking aid, allowing the weapons shipments to continue to flow. A US State Department official resigned over the report and called its conclusions “false.”

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.