Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned that the population of the Gaza Strip is facing a worsening crisis of hunger and malnutrition amid a severe shortage of food supplies.

The organization reported in a statement on its official website last night that its field teams have observed a sharp and unprecedented rise in acute malnutrition rates among the population of the Strip.

It stated that two of its health centers in Gaza City and the coastal town of Al-Mawasi are currently treating more than 700 pregnant and breastfeeding women, along with approximately 500 children suffering from severe or moderate malnutrition.

It indicated that the number of malnutrition cases at its center in Gaza City has nearly quadrupled in less than two months, rising from 293 cases last May to 983 cases at the beginning of July, including 326 cases for children between the ages of 6 and 23 months.

"This is the first time we have witnessed such a high number of malnutrition cases in Gaza," said Mohammed Abu Mughaiseeb, the organization's deputy medical coordinator.

He added, "The starvation of the population in Gaza is deliberate and could end tomorrow if the Israeli authorities allow sufficient quantities of food into the Strip."

The organization emphasized that the humanitarian situation in the Strip now requires urgent intervention to ensure that food and medical aid reaches the civilian population, as the ongoing military operations exacerbate the suffering of the population, especially children and the most vulnerable groups.