Deepening Crisis in Gaza: Infants Malnourished Amidst Aid Site Violence
Gaza faces a dire nutrition crisis among infants, exacerbated by severely restricted aid and a surge in casualties around distribution sites, overwhelming the shattered health system.
Gaza’s humanitarian crisis is escalating, with a deepening nutrition emergency impacting infants and a “sharp surge” in deaths and injuries near aid distribution sites, recent articles by Arab News and Middle East Monitor revealed. Catherine Russell, UNICEF chief, warned on Monday that thousands of babies are suffering from severe malnutrition due to hampered humanitarian access. Many mothers are either killed or too malnourished to breastfeed, leaving infants vulnerable to death or permanent health damage. Russell emphasized that “every minute counts in saving their lives.”
Adding to the catastrophe, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported on Tuesday a significant increase in casualties around aid distribution points since late May. Their field hospital in southern Gaza has recorded 200 deaths and treated over 2,200 “weapon-wounded patients” from more than 21 mass casualty events. The ICRC stated that the scale and frequency of these incidents are “without precedent,” pushing Gaza’s already devastated healthcare system past its breaking point. Medical staff are being repurposed, with physiotherapists assisting nurses and cleaners acting as orderlies to cope with the influx of wounded.
The US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which began operations in late May after Israel halted supplies, has seen its distribution efforts marred by chaotic scenes and reports of Israeli forces firing on people waiting for rations. The UN Human Rights Office stated that over 500 people have been killed while trying to access aid from GHF sites. Gaza’s health system remains on the brink of collapse, with most facilities non-functional and critical shortages of medical supplies and fuel persisting for months due to Israeli restrictions.
Despite international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a genocidal war on Gaza, killing more than 57,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children, since October 2023. Unofficial reports put the figures even higher, highlighting the devastating impact of the war.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
