The Director-General of the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced on Thursday the deaths of six people, including a child, due to starvation in the past 24 hours, amid the tightened Israeli blockade on the Strip. He explained that the continued closure of crossings and the denial of humanitarian aid are exacerbating the health and humanitarian catastrophe, warning of an increasing death toll as food and medicine run out. Data from the World Food Program indicates that approximately 2.2 million people in Gaza—equivalent to the entire population—face critical levels of food insecurity. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Network has classified the situation in the Strip as “effective famine.” This comes as the United Nations and international organizations continue to warn that Israeli restrictions on aid threaten the lives of millions of civilians in Gaza, especially children, the sick, and the elderly.
