Medical sources say young girl succumbed to malnutrition in Khan Younis, highlighting severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza
A young girl died Monday from starvation and dehydration in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to Palestinian media.
She passed away at the Children's and Maternity Hospital due to severe malnutrition caused by the ongoing famine amid the Israeli-imposed siege on the enclave, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, citing medics.
Medical officials noted that thousands of children suffer from malnutrition symptoms due to Israel's stringent blockade on Gaza, which has sealed all crossings and blocked essential supplies for nearly 100 days, including food, water, medicine and fuel.
Bassam Zaqout, director of medical relief in southern Gaza, previously said that Gaza has become a “place of death,” with famine affecting 100% of the population, the agency said.
The Gaza Health Ministry said on May 28 that at least 60 children in the enclave had died from malnutrition caused by Israel's ongoing blockade.
Israel has devised a plan to establish four aid distribution points in southern and central Gaza, which Israeli media says aims to evacuate Palestinians from northern Gaza into the south.
According to Israel's Army Radio, the aid distribution plan seeks to turn the territory's north into a “completely depopulated area.”
The mechanism was opposed by the international community and the UN, which came as an alternative attempt by Israel to bypass aid distribution through UN channels.
Since March 2, Israel has kept all border crossings shut, cutting off the entry of food, medicine, fuel and other essential supplies for Gaza's 2.4 million residents.
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.
