Malnutrition Claims Life of 5-Month-Old in Gaza Amid Starvation Crisis

GAZA, Gaza Strip — A 5-month-old Palestinian baby died in her mother’s arms Friday, a devastating victim of the ongoing starvation crisis in Gaza. The baby, Zeinab Abu Halib, succumbed to severe malnutrition while her mother attempted to reach a hospital in southern Gaza.

"Zeinab has been in and out of the hospital for the last three months," her mother, Israa Abu Halib, recounted on Saturday. "I had to walk for more than 30 minutes as there is no transportation… The dirt road was so long, the weather was so hot, but I kept walking even though I was hungry and didn’t have water."

As her mother made the arduous journey, Abu Halib felt her daughter’s condition worsen. "Suddenly I felt that she stopped moving and breathing; her body became heavier," she said. "I don’t know what to say anymore. How many innocent babies like Zeinab should be starved to death so the world wakes up?"

Dr. Munir al-Boursh, Director General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, confirmed that Zeinab died from complications of severe malnutrition. "She was left to waste away until she became skin over bones," he stated. According to the health ministry, 122 people have died from malnutrition in Gaza since the conflict began in 2023, with 83 of those deaths being children.

The crisis has intensified since early March, when Israel prohibited aid deliveries to Gaza. Although some aid has resumed since late May, organizations like Doctors Without Borders report that the aid provided is inadequate to meet the overwhelming need. They noted that one quarter of young children and pregnant or breastfeeding women screened at their facilities in Gaza are malnourished, with the number of patients treated for malnutrition quadrupling since May 18.

This tragic situation highlights the dire humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, as thousands of families continue to struggle with food insecurity and lack of medical assistance.