Gaza Hospital Reports Deaths of 21 Children from Malnutrition and Starvation

The director of Gaza’s largest hospital confirmed on Tuesday that 21 children have died from malnutrition and starvation over the past three days in the besieged Palestinian enclave, amidst ongoing Israeli military operations.

Gaza, home to more than two million residents, is experiencing catastrophic shortages of food, medicine, and other essentials. Reports indicate that residents are frequently killed while attempting to collect humanitarian aid at limited distribution sites.

Dr Mohammed Abu Salmiya, Director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, told reporters:

“Twenty-one children have died due to malnutrition and starvation in various areas across the Gaza Strip. New cases are arriving at hospitals every moment. We fear alarming numbers of deaths.”

Statistics

UN and Global Reaction

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres labelled the situation:

“A horror show… A level of death and destruction without parallel in recent times.”

The humanitarian crisis deepened following the collapse of a six-week ceasefire earlier this year. Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza from 2 March, only permitting minimal truck entry again in late May. Supplies accumulated during the ceasefire have now been exhausted.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)—a new body backed by the US and Israel—has effectively supplanted the existing UN aid infrastructure, leading to confusion and chaos at distribution points.

A UN report noted:

“Over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed attempting to access food since GHF operations began in May.”

Aid Status and Military Claims

Israeli military spokesperson Nadav Shoshani claimed that:

“950 trucks worth of aid are currently waiting in Gaza for international organisations to collect and distribute.”

The US State Department announced that Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, is travelling to the Middle East for discussions to establish a secure aid corridor—though details remain sparse.

Recent Attacks

Israeli strikes on Tuesday killed at least 15 people, including 13 in the Al-Shati refugee camp, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency. Over 50 others were injured.

The camp, located west of Gaza City on the Mediterranean coast, houses thousands who fled northern Gaza. Raed Bakr, a 30-year-old father of three, described the moment of attack:

“It felt like a nightmare—fire, dust, body parts flying. My children were screaming. Our tent was blown away.”

Meanwhile, Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the highest-ranking Roman Catholic in the region, condemned the humanitarian situation as “morally unacceptable” after visiting Gaza following an Israeli strike on the territory’s only Catholic church, which killed three people.

WHO and New Ground Operations

World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus accused Israeli troops of:

• Entering WHO staff residences
• Forcing women and children to evacuate
• Handcuffing, stripping, and interrogating male staff at gunpoint

Israeli ground forces also expanded operations into Deir el-Balah after heavy shelling. Two were confirmed dead. The Israeli army stated it had responded to shots fired at its troops in the area.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):

• 50,000 to 80,000 people are in the Deir el-Balah area
• Approximately 30,000 reside in displacement sites
• 88% of Gaza’s territory is now either under evacuation orders or considered militarised zones

This has confined the 2.4 million residents to an increasingly limited space.

Political Plans Amidst Devastation

Despite the humanitarian catastrophe, Israeli far-right leaders reportedly convened in Jerusalem to discuss redeveloping Gaza into a tourist-friendly “riviera” with a permanent Jewish presence.