16-month-old Mohammed Zakaria Asfour breathed his last at Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, say medics
At least 61,258 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, including 197 who have died from hunger, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.
A ministry statement said 100 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours, while 603 people were injured, taking the number of injuries to 152,045 in the Israeli onslaught since October 2023.
The ministry also said that four more people died from starvation and malnutrition over the past day, pushing the death toll since October 2023 to 197, including 96 children.
A medical source told Anadolu that 16-month-old Mohammed Zakaria Asfour lost his life at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis as a result of starvation-related complications amid a severe shortage of food and medicine due to the Israeli siege.
Activists shared videos on social media showing Mohammed’s extremely frail body and protruding bones.
The ministry also said that 51 Palestinians were killed and 230 injured while trying to get humanitarian aid in the past day, bringing the total number of people killed while seeking aid to 1,706 with over 12,030 others wounded since May 27, when the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operations.
Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza for 18 years and, since March 2 has shut down all crossings, blocking the entry of humanitarian aid and worsening conditions for the territory’s 2.4 million population.
According to Gaza’s government media office, Israel allowed in just 92 aid trucks on Wednesday – far short of the 600 trucks needed daily to meet the needs of the residents.
The Israeli army resumed its attacks on the Gaza Strip on March 18, breaking a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January. Efforts for another truce led by the US, Egypt and Qatar have so far not yielded any results.
