<\/p>\n Yazan Abu Ful, a 2-year-old malnourished boy, stands shirtless for a photo at his family\u2019s home in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. In Gaza, malnutrition is often worsened by preexisting conditions and compounded by illnesses linked to inadequate health care and poor sanitation, largely the result of the ongoing war. (AP Photo\/Jehad Alshrafi)<\/p>\n Yazan Abu Ful, a 2-year-old malnourished boy, stands shirtless for a photo at his family\u2019s home in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. In Gaza, malnutrition is often worsened by preexisting conditions and compounded by illnesses linked to inadequate health care and poor sanitation, largely the result of the ongoing war. (AP Photo\/Jehad Alshrafi)<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n But after months of Israeli blockade and turmoil in the distribution of supplies<\/a>, children in Gaza with no previous conditions are also starting to die<\/a> from malnutrition, aid workers and doctors say.<\/p>\n Over the past month, 28 children have died of malnutrition-related causes, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, though it\u2019s not known how many had other conditions. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, is staffed by medical professionals and its figures on war deaths are seen by the U.N. and other experts<\/a> as the most reliable estimate of casualties.<\/p>\n Salem Awad was born in January with no medical problems, the youngest of six children, his mother Hiyam Awad said. But she was too weak from lack of food to breastfeed him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Seven-month-old Salem Awad, suffering from severe malnutrition, lies on a mattress for a picture at his family\u2019s tent in Gaza City, Monday July 28, 2025. In Gaza, malnutrition is often worsened by preexisting conditions and compounded by illnesses linked to inadequate health care and poor sanitation, largely the result of the ongoing war. (AP Photo\/Jehad Alshrafi)<\/p>\n Seven-month-old Salem Awad, suffering from severe malnutrition, lies on a mattress for a picture at his family\u2019s tent in Gaza City, Monday July 28, 2025. In Gaza, malnutrition is often worsened by preexisting conditions and compounded by illnesses linked to inadequate health care and poor sanitation, largely the result of the ongoing war. (AP Photo\/Jehad Alshrafi)<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n For the first two months of Salem\u2019s life, there was a ceasefire in Gaza, and more aid entered, but even then it was hard to find milk for him, his mother said. In March, Israel cut off all food from entering the territory for more than 2 \u00bd months.<\/p>\n Since then, Salem has been wasting away. Now he weighs 4 kilograms (9 pounds), his mother said. \u201cHe just keeps losing weight. At the hospital, they say if he doesn\u2019t get milk, he could die,\u201d she said, speaking in the family\u2019s tent in Gaza City.<\/p>\n Israel has been allowing a trickle of aid into Gaza since late May. After an international outcry over increasing starvation, it introduced new measures last weekend it says are intended to increase the amount of food getting to the population, including airdrops and pauses in military operations in some areas. But so far, they have not had a significant effect, aid groups say.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Saif Hijazi, 13, who suffers from severe malnutrition and was partially paralyzed by shelling lies on a bed to have his picture taken at the Shifa Hospital where he is being treated in Gaza City, Monday, July 28, 2025. In Gaza, malnutrition is often worsened by preexisting conditions and compounded by illnesses linked to inadequate health care and poor sanitation, largely the result of the ongoing war. (AP Photo\/Jehad Alshrafi)<\/p>\n Saif Hijazi, 13, who suffers from severe malnutrition and was partially paralyzed by shelling lies on a bed to have his picture taken at the Shifa Hospital where he is being treated in Gaza City, Monday, July 28, 2025. In Gaza, malnutrition is often worsened by preexisting conditions and compounded by illnesses linked to inadequate health care and poor sanitation, largely the result of the ongoing war. (AP Photo\/Jehad Alshrafi)<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Food experts warned<\/a> this week the \u201cworst-case scenario of famine is playing out in Gaza.\u201d The U.N. says the impact of hunger building for months is quickly worsening, especially in Gaza City and other parts of northern Gaza, where it estimates nearly one in five children is now acutely malnourished.<\/p>\n Across Gaza, more than 5,000 children were diagnosed with malnutrition this month, though that is likely an undercount, the U.N. says. Malnutrition was virtually nonexistent before the war. Doctors struggle to treat the children because many supplies have run out, the U.N. says. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Omniya Mahra, holds shirtless for a photo her sons Oday, 4, left, and Mohammed, 3, who suffer from malnutrition and a genetic nerve disorder, at the Friends of the Patient Hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. In Gaza, malnutrition is often worsened by preexisting conditions and compounded by illnesses linked to inadequate health care and poor sanitation, largely the result of the ongoing war. (AP Photo\/Jehad Alshrafi)<\/p>\n Omniya Mahra, holds shirtless for a photo her sons Oday, 4, left, and Mohammed, 3, who suffer from malnutrition and a genetic nerve disorder, at the Friends of the Patient Hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. In Gaza, malnutrition is often worsened by preexisting conditions and compounded by illnesses linked to inadequate health care and poor sanitation, largely the result of the ongoing war. (AP Photo\/Jehad Alshrafi)<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Israel denies a famine is taking place or that children are starving<\/a>. It says it has supplied enough food throughout the war and accuses Hamas of causing shortages by stealing aid and trying to control food distribution. <\/p>\n Humanitarian groups deny that significant diversion of food takes place. Throughout nearly 22 months of war, the number of aid trucks has been far short of the roughly 500 a day the U.N. says is needed. <\/p>\n The impact is seen most strongly in children with special needs \u2014 and those who have been grievously wounded in Israeli bombardment.<\/p>\n Mosab al-Dibs, 14, suffered a heavy head wound on May 7 when an airstrike hit next to his family\u2019s tent. For about two months, he has been at Shifa Hospital, largely paralyzed, only partly conscious and severely malnourished because the facility no longer has the supplies to feed him, said Dr. Jamal Salha.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Shahinaz al-Dibs cares for her 14-year-old son, Mosab, at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Thursday, July 31, 2025. He is largely paralyzed and only partly conscious after suffering a serious head injury on May 7 when an airstrike hit near their tent, and is now malnourished due to the hospital\u2019s lack of supplements and nutrient formula. (AP Photo\/Jehad Alshrafi)<\/p>\n Shahinaz al-Dibs cares for her 14-year-old son, Mosab, at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Thursday, July 31, 2025. He is largely paralyzed and only partly conscious after suffering a serious head injury on May 7 when an airstrike hit near their tent, and is now malnourished due to the hospital\u2019s lack of supplements and nutrient formula. (AP Photo\/Jehad Alshrafi)<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Mosab\u2019s mother, Shahinaz al-Dibs, said the boy was healthy before the war, but that since he was wounded, his weight has fallen from 40 kilograms to less than 10 (88 to 22 pounds)<\/p>\n At his bedside, she moves his spindly arms to exercise them. The networks of tiny blue veins are visible through the nearly transparent skin over his protruding ribs. The boy\u2019s eyes dart around, but he doesn\u2019t respond.<\/p>\n His mother puts some bread soaked in water \u2014 the only food she can afford \u2014 into a large syringe and squirts it into his mouth in a vain attempt to feed him. Most of it dribbles out from his lips. What he needs is a nutrient formula suitable for tube feeding that the hospital doesn\u2019t have, Salha said. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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