Chicago- March 13, 2024
It’s not just Israeli bombs that have killed children in war-ravaged Gaza — now some are dying of hunger.
Officials have been warning for months that Israel’s siege and offensive were pushing the Palestinian territory into famine.
Hunger is most acute in northern Gaza, which has been isolated by Israeli forces and has suffered long cutoffs of food supplies. At least 20 people have died from malnutrition and dehydration at the north’s Kamal Adwan and Shifa hospitals, according to the Health Ministry. Most of the dead are children — including ones as old as 15 — as well as a 72-year-old man.
Particularly vulnerable children are also beginning to succumb in the south, where access to aid is more regular.
Israel’s retaliatory actions have all been against international law – from targeting civilian areas, using white phosphorus, preventing food and electricity from entering Gaza and ordering 1.1 million civilians to flee their homes without giving the time or the means to do so. Hamas’s actions against Israel on the 7 October were barbaric, but Israel’s revenge, as usual, has been beyond the pale.
At least 31,184 Palestinians have been killed and 72,889 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. Israel’s Netanyahu refuses to come to terms with Hamas so a ceasefire can proceed. Thousands of displaced Palestinians are fasting in the Holy month pf Ramadan among constant bombing, land raids and acute famine.
