The humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip continues to escalate, with six more Palestinians — including children — dying of starvation and malnutrition in the last 24 hours, according to medical sources on Sunday.

The deaths, recorded at several hospitals across the besieged enclave, bring the total number of famine-related fatalities to at least 175 since the start of the blockade-induced crisis.

Among the dead are 93 children, victims of what aid agencies and rights groups have repeatedly described as a man-made famine driven by Israel’s ongoing siege.

Since March 2, 2025, Israeli authorities have kept all border crossings with Gaza sealed, cutting off food, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid. The deliberate closure has accelerated famine conditions, leaving millions of Palestinians without basic necessities.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has warned that malnutrition among children under five has doubled between March and June due to the blockade. “The situation is catastrophic. Without immediate and sustained aid, more children will die,” the agency said in a recent statement.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also sounded the alarm, reporting that nearly one in five children under five in Gaza City now suffers from severe acute malnutrition. WHO officials have directly linked the growing death toll to Israel’s restrictions on aid, calling it a humanitarian emergency of unprecedented scale.

Despite repeated international calls, Israel continues to defy the UN Security Council and International Court of Justice directives to lift the siege and allow full-scale humanitarian access. The people of Gaza remain trapped under blockade, facing starvation, disease, and bombardment as the death toll climbs. (ILKHA)