Mahmoud Fattouh passed away from starvation, as the United Nations raises alarms about a potential rise in child deaths due to inadequate access to food and water. The two-month-old Palestinian infant died at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, following acute malnutrition.
Paramedics who brought Mahmoud to the hospital noted that he had not been fed milk for days, due to the severe lack of baby formula in Gaza. The Israeli government, amid their ongoing conflict with Hamas, has restricted the flow of humanitarian aid into the region, leaving approximately 2.3 million people at risk of famine.
Efforts by aid organizations to deliver food and supplies to Gaza have been hindered by Israeli checks and far-right protests at crossing points. The situation is especially dire in northern Gaza, where deliveries have been cut off since October.
The World Food Programme faced challenges in resuming aid delivery to the north, citing Israeli gunfire and civil unrest. The UN has expressed concern over escalating malnutrition among children and women in Gaza, warning of a potential increase in preventable deaths if the conflict persists.
Children under two in northern Gaza are particularly vulnerable, with one in six facing acute malnutrition. The UNICEF deputy executive director has emphasized the urgent need for an end to the conflict to prevent further deterioration of the health and well-being of Gaza’s children.