The ongoing restriction imposed by Israel on the entry of baby formula and medical aid into the besieged Gaza Strip is causing the slow death of infants in the war-torn Palestinian territory, reports say.
As part of its attempts to weaponize hunger against Palestinians, the Israeli regime is severely restricting the entry of baby formula and medical aid into Gaza, causing the slow death of infants in the coastal sliver.
Since March, at least 57 children have died from malnutrition, with doctors reporting that the delivery of aid is becoming increasingly difficult, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Wednesday, citing Gaza's Health Ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO).
In late June, Israeli forces confiscated powdered baby formula and medical supplies from an American doctor preparing to enter Gaza on a humanitarian mission at the Allenby Bridge crossing, located between the West Bank and Jordan, according to Le Monde.
“The baby formula was confiscated. What other explanation is there if it's not that hunger is being used as a weapon of war in the ongoing genocide in Gaza?” said Palestinian-German surgeon Diana Nazzal, in an interview with Le Monde.
According to local health workers, baby formula, especially the specialized types for premature or lactose-intolerant infants, remains critically scarce in Gaza, where widespread malnutrition makes it almost impossible for mothers to breastfeed.
Access for foreign medical professionals has also tightened, with some banned from bringing even essential supplies. British and American doctors have reported being blocked despite WHO approval, despite dire conditions inside Gaza.
“I saw babies who were just skin and bones,” said British orthopedic surgeon Graeme Groom back in May.
Israel starves Gaza amid global silence: 290,000 children 'on brink of death'
Separately, an NBC News team, while visiting the neonatal ward in Khan Yunis’ Nasser Hospital late last month, revealed that babies in Gaza were starving for lack of formula as Israel continues to restrict supplies from entering Gaza.
“These children are facing slow death,” said al-Fara, who heads the department.
Dr. Marwan al-Hams, Gaza’s Director of Field Hospitals, also told NBC News that they “currently do not have Type 1 or 2 infant formulas in hospitals, nor do we have the medical formula we use in incubators.”
“The malnutrition of pregnant or breastfeeding mothers exacerbates the situation, with cases of malnutrition among newborns and children increasing,” he added.
Doctors in Gaza say that without proper nutrition, children not only waste away but also quickly develop complications like infections, swelling, and organ failure due to protein deficiency.
UNICEF reports that Israel’s 11-week blockade of food, aid, and medical supplies led to a 150 percent increase in child malnutrition admissions; although the blockade was partially eased on May 19, cases of malnutrition persist.
Since October 7, 2023, when the Israeli regime began its campaign of genocide in Gaza, it has killed at least 56,647 Palestinians and wounded 134,105, according to the health ministry of Gaza.
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