A catastrophic nutrition crisis is gripping Gaza, with over 100,000 children, including 40,000 infants, teetering on the brink of death due to Israel’s unrelenting blockade, according to the Gaza Government Media Office.

The tragic death of infant Mohammad Ibrahim Adas from malnutrition and lack of infant formula, announced by Gaza’s Ministry of Health on Monday, marks the 134th fatality in a spiraling famine, with 88 children among the victims.

The Gaza Media Office condemned Israel’s actions as a “massacre in slow motion,” accusing the Israeli government of deliberately starving Gaza’s youngest by sealing all border crossings and blocking essential supplies. Desperate mothers, unable to access baby formula or nutritional supplements, have resorted to feeding their infants only water, while hospitals report a surge in children suffering from acute, life-threatening malnutrition. In the last 24 hours alone, six deaths were recorded due to starvation, pushing the toll to 133, including 87 children, as Gaza’s healthcare system collapses under the weight of the crisis.

Dr. Mounir al-Bursh, Director General of Gaza’s Ministry of Health, described the situation as a “shocking warning to humanity,” urging the immediate opening of crossings to allow life-saving aid. The Media Office echoed this plea, demanding an end to Israel’s “criminal siege” and accusing its international backers of complicity in what it called a “deliberate extermination campaign” against Palestinian children. “Silence from the global community is explicit complicity in the genocide of Gaza’s children,” the office warned.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported alarming malnutrition rates, with over 5,000 children under five treated for malnutrition in the first two weeks of July alone. Of these, 18% were diagnosed with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), the deadliest form. Gaza’s four malnutrition treatment centers are overwhelmed, facing critical fuel and supply shortages, and are projected to run dry by mid-August. Pregnant and breastfeeding women are also severely affected, with over 40% now malnourished, particularly in the Middle Area, Gaza City, and Khan Younis.

The crisis is compounded by dangerous conditions at food distribution points, where over 1,060 Palestinians have been killed and 7,200 injured since May 27 while seeking aid. Only 73 aid trucks have entered Gaza recently, a fraction of what is needed, while airdrops in active combat zones have been deemed a “farce” by the Gaza Media Office. Most aid is looted under Israeli oversight, further deepening the humanitarian disaster.

The Gaza Media Office called for the unconditional opening of all crossings and the immediate delivery of food and infant formula, warning that continued delays will lead to further loss of life. “Israel’s blockade is a crime against humanity,” the office declared, urging global intervention to halt the starvation of Gaza’s children. (ILKHA)