Ramallah – Ma’an – “There was no formula milk due to the siege imposed by the Israeli occupation, and there was no milk in my breasts due to the lack of food and the prevention of aid from entering,” the mother of three-month-old Anwar al-Khudari from Shuja’iyya, east of Gaza City, told Defense for Children International.

‘I was homeless in Al-Shifa Hospital, with my husband and my only son, Anwar,’ she continued.

The child Anwar was martyred in Kamal Adwan Hospital – after he was transferred there – on the fourteenth of last February due to malnutrition.

His mother added: “My son cried all night from hunger. His temperature rose, and he died after four days.”

The child Anwar is one of dozens of Palestinian children who have been martyred in the Gaza Strip in recent months due to the starvation policy pursued by the Israeli occupation authorities against the people of the Strip since the beginning of its aggression on October 7, 2023.

According to medical sources in the Gaza Strip, about 37 children have
been killed as a result of the famine, and this toll only includes those who were killed in hospitals or those whose deaths were reported by their families.

The occupation authorities systematically prevent Palestinian children in Gaza from obtaining adequate food and proper nutrition, which increases the spread of hunger and malnutrition. This deliberate deprivation leads to serious health problems, stunted growth, and an alarming increase in child mortality rates.

The Defense for Children International movement documented testimonies from mothers of children who were martyred due to the starvation policy that resulted in malnutrition and dehydration in Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip.

Kamal Adwan Hospital Director Hussam Abu Safia told the Global Movement that the hospital receives about 70 to 100 children daily suffering from malnutrition, adding that ‘there are three levels of malnutrition in children: mild, moderate, and severe. The majority of cases received by the hospital ar
e moderate, while severe cases represent 5 to 7 percent of cases. This percentage may increase if hunger continues and food supplies are not provided.’

He added that the spread of hunger in northern Gaza and deaths resulting from malnutrition among children have become a stark reality, noting that more than 25 children were martyred in Kamal Adwan Hospital due to hunger, with additional deaths recorded in shelters and homes.

‘Many of them were unable to reach the hospital due to the siege and the ongoing attacks by the occupation forces,’ said Dr. Abu Safiya.

The mother of 10-year-old Karam Qadada told the global movement that her child ‘loved playing football and taking pictures, and he created a TikTok account.’

Karam was trapped with his family in Al-Shifa Hospital for a week and due to the severe shortage of food supplies caused by the siege imposed by the occupation on the hospital, he was transferred to Al-Ahli Arab Hospital during the siege after patients were allowed to evacuate.

The child Karam’
s condition worsened due to the lack of food, medical treatment and antibiotics at Al-Ahli Al-Arabi Hospital, and his health deteriorated significantly, leading to severe weight loss, and then he was transferred to Kamal Adwan Hospital.

His mother added: ‘My child was placed in the women’s ward (upon arrival at Kamal Adwan Hospital) because there was no space for him in the intensive care unit. This made his condition worse, and he was later transferred to the intensive care unit. He died a week later in the unit.’

Karam was martyred on March 30 due to malnutrition and high levels of salts in his blood.

Kamal Adwan Hospital and other hospitals in the Gaza Strip have not been able to collect comprehensive data on child deaths resulting from starvation, malnutrition and dehydration due to the ongoing genocide and severe shortage of medical personnel.

Seven-day-old baby Abdul Aziz Salem died in Kamal Adwan Hospital on March 2 due to cardiac arrest and lack of oxygen.

Baby Abdul Aziz was born in the same hos
pital without the help of doctors due to the lack of medical staff, and spent a week in the incubator while his mother was in critical condition, suffering from jaundice and the effects of malnutrition during pregnancy.

‘I couldn’t breastfeed my son because I didn’t have food and I got sick,’ his mother told the global movement.

The child’s mother is from Fallujah, west of Jabalia camp in northern Gaza, and was forcibly displaced at least six times during her pregnancy.

“There was no oxygen or baby milk at the hospital. My son died of suffocation and hunger,” she added.

Hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip are in a critical situation due to the occupation authorities preventing the entry of essential medical supplies into the Strip, in addition to cutting off electricity supplies and restricting access to clean water needed to provide adequate health care for children.

Seven-day-old baby Jude Al-Barsh from Jabalia camp died in Kamal Adwan Hospital on March 2nd due to malnutrition, as her mother was unabl
e to breastfeed her due to lack of food.

The baby was placed in a hospital incubator for a week due to malnutrition caused by a severe lack of breast milk and formula.

Her mother said: ‘Joud died of hunger, and God left me her twins, whom I gave birth to after ten years of marriage.’

The mother of three-year-old Mila Abdul Nabi, who works as a nurse in the intensive care unit at Kamal Adwan Hospital, told the global movement: ‘My daughter died in front of my eyes and I could not save her.’

She added: “I returned to work that day (the day of her death) and my colleagues closed the door to prevent me from entering. But when I entered, I found my daughter dead and wrapped in a shroud.”

Mila died in Kamal Adwan Hospital on March 2nd due to malnutrition.

‘When the occupation forces invaded the northern area and deprived us of food, my daughter suffered from mineral deficiency and remained on a ventilator from February 29 until the day she died,’ her mother added. ‘Mila was very intelligent and attached to me
. She was my only daughter.’

Four-year-old Musab Abu Asr is a skeleton due to starvation. His mother told the global movement, ‘Prices are very high, and no one can buy anything.’

The child, Musab, was admitted to Al-Ahli Al-Arabi Hospital on February 3, before being transferred to Kamal Adwan Hospital after the intensive care unit was closed due to the power outage. His health deteriorated and he lost weight until he was martyred on the 11th of the same month.

His mother added: ‘Mosaab was our first child. He was smart and bright in kindergarten. All his teachers praised him. He was sociable and would join his playmates. He loved to ride his bike. He loved strawberries and bananas very much. He was the joy of my heart.’

The mother of two-month-old Nahed Haboush from Jabalia camp said: ‘My child was hospitalized twice. The first time was due to severe crying and dehydration, and his condition improved with fluids and treatment.’

The child, Nahed, suffered from a deterioration in his health and dehydratio
n, and was placed in the intensive care unit where he remained on artificial respiration for three days until he was martyred on April 3.

His mother continued: ‘Nahed died of hunger due to lack of breastfeeding, as there was no food for me or milk for the children due to the Israeli siege.’

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), women in the Gaza Strip face Top of Form

Women face challenges in breastfeeding due to malnutrition, stress, and trauma, in addition to the lack of infant formula, lack of screening for malnutrition, and irregular distribution of nutritional supplements.

According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), there are more than 50,000 children in Gaza in need of treatment for severe malnutrition.

The Defense for Children International movement confirms that the blockade and restrictions imposed on humanitarian aid during the genocidal war waged by the occupation forces against the people of the
Gaza Strip are creating a humanitarian crisis and causing the continued suffering of the citizens, and that Palestinian children are dying of hunger and pain because the occupation is deliberately withholding humanitarian aid from the Strip, and this is considered an act of genocide, and without an immediate ceasefire and a ban on arms exports to Israel by the international community, more Palestinian children in Gaza will be exposed to death from starvation.

Famine is considered a crime against humanity and a war crime under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), when used as a method of warfare or as a deliberate act against a population.

Source: Maan News Agency