Starving Babies In Gaza

Every day, every single day

Two baby boys: one here, one there

From The Guardian:

‘They’re skin and bones’: doctors in Gaza warn babies at risk of death from lack of formula

Doctors say Israel is blocking deliveries of formula urgently needed as mothers are either dead or too malnourished to feed their babies

The Guardian reports that doctors in Gaza are warning that hundreds of babies are on the verge of death due to a critical shortage of infant formula. According to the Guardian, Israel’s blockade—combined with the controversial role of the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)—is starving infants by blocking formula from entering the strip.

At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Dr. Ahmad al-Farra says there is just one week’s supply of formula left. Specialized formula for premature babies has already run out. Outside hospitals, thousands of infants have no access to milk at all.

The Guardian reveals that GHF, which controls most aid distribution in Gaza, does not include infant formula in its shipments. As a result, desperate families turn to the black market, where formula can cost up to $50 per can—ten times the normal price.

The GHF has replaced the previous UN-run system of more than 400 distribution points with just four. These sites are scenes of chaos and danger: over 500 Palestinians have reportedly been shot dead while waiting for food in the past month alone. Humanitarian groups accuse GHF of violating core principles of aid distribution and putting civilians directly in harm’s way. The bottlenecks and violent conditions have also led to repeated looting of aid trucks by Hamas or the starving local population.

According to the World Health Organization, roughly 112 children are admitted to Gaza hospitals each day for severe malnutrition. The UN warns that over 490,000 people are facing “catastrophic hunger,” with nearly the entire population experiencing acute food insecurity.

Amnesty International accuses Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war to “inflict genocide.” Israel’s coordination office, COGAT, denies this, claiming over 1,400 tons of baby food have been delivered. Yet The Guardian reports that formula—especially for premature infants—is often confiscated from medical teams trying to bring it in.

Gaza needs at least 500 aid trucks per day to meet basic needs. Fewer than 50 usually get through, and even that limited aid is often lost to theft or seizure.

Doctors warn that the damage from prolonged malnutrition will be lifelong. Gaza’s children are being stunted—in body and brain—by hunger.

The blockade and Israel’s reliance on a flawed, privatized aid system are starving babies to death. Nothing short of a full ceasefire, the reopening of crossings, and the free flow of essential humanitarian aid—including infant formula—can stop it.