In Gaza, the Al-Awda Health Centre in Rafah witnessed a heartbreaking scene on Monday, as two Palestinian toddlers lay side by side on a bed, their sunken eyes and emaciated faces reflecting the severity of the situation. One toddler wore a yellow cardigan while the other was dressed in a stripy top, both of them with thin, bony legs protruding from oversized diapers.
Nurse Diaa Al-Shaer, speaking from the clinic, expressed deep concern over the increasing number of children arriving with malnutrition and various diseases, describing the situation as unprecedented.
One of the toddlers, Ahmed Qannan, weighed only 6 kg (13.2 lb), half of his pre-war body weight, according to his aunt Israa Kalakh, who remained by his side, expressing fear for his deteriorating condition.
The dire shortage of food, exacerbated by Israel’s prolonged air and ground invasion of Gaza and resulting displacement crisis, has led to what the United Nations deems a nutrition emergency, part of a broader humanitarian catastrophe.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reported on Sunday that 15 children had succumbed to malnutrition or dehydration at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, the area most severely affected by food shortages.
World Health Organization spokesperson Christian Lindmeier warned that the actual number of casualties could be higher than reported, underscoring the severity of the situation.
The worsening hunger crisis has drawn criticism of Israel from global leaders, including US Vice President Kamala Harris, who called attention to the dire conditions in Gaza and urged Israel to increase humanitarian aid significantly.
A heart-wrenching video obtained by Reuters, filmed at Kamal Adwan Hospital on Saturday, captured the anguish of Anwar Abdulnabi as she wept over the body of her daughter Mila, a toddler who had just passed away. Abdulnabi, through tears, revealed that Mila had been suffering from calcium and potassium deficiencies.
