One-and-a-half-year-old Ali Abu Azra weighs just 3 kg due to lack of food and medicine
A one-and-a-half-year-old Palestinian boy, Ali Abu Azra, is struggling to survive amid severe malnutrition caused by the Israeli blockade on Gaza, according to his mother and medical sources.
Ali, who is hospitalized at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, weighs only 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds), far below the expected weight of roughly 10 kilograms for a child his age. His body has lost fat and muscle tissue due to chronic malnutrition, leaving his skin clinging to his bones.
His mother, Etemad Abu Azra, told Anadolu that her son suffers from chronic diarrhea, rashes, frequent fevers, seizures, and a severe calcium deficiency caused by the Israeli restrictions on food and medicine entering the Gaza Strip.
“Within one week, he lost a kilogram of weight. Now he weighs only 3 kilograms. There is no milk, no medicine. Every day, he loses weight from dehydration and malnutrition. He needs proper food,” she said, expressing hope that Ali could be treated abroad.
She called on the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization to intervene.
Dr. Ahmed Al-Farra, director of the pediatric and maternity unit at Nasser Hospital, said: “There is no fat or muscle tissue left on Ali’s body; his skin covers only his bones. He shows clear signs of dehydration, sunken eyes, severe malnutrition, calcium deficiency, and serious skin problems.”
Farra added that Ali’s case is not unique. Dozens of children in Gaza hospitals face similar conditions, with medical staff unable to provide sufficient food or treatment due to the blockade.
Since March 2, Israel has closed all Gaza crossings, preventing the entry of food, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid. Occasionally, limited aid deliveries have failed to meet the population's basic needs, resulting in famine despite trucks of aid waiting at the border.
The UN’s Integrated Food Security Phase Classification announced on August 22 that Gaza is experiencing famine, which is expected to spread to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of September.
The World Food Program warned in recent months that one-third of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents have gone without food for several days.
According to recent data from the Gaza Health Ministry and government media office, over one million children are deprived of food, while 40,000 infants face life-threatening severe malnutrition due to the blockade.
Since October 7, 2023, Israeli attacks in Gaza have intensified, including killings, forced displacement, and widespread destruction.
The Ministry of Health reports that malnutrition-related deaths have reached 370 Palestinians, including 131 children.
Israel has already killed more than 64,200 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for 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 on the enclave.
