GAZA STARVATION TOLL RISES AMID FEARS OF WORSENING CRISIS
GAZA CITY, Palestine – August 18, 2025:Sadly, 258 people in Gaza have now died from hunger since the conflict started, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. A shocking 110 of those were children. Ministry officials shared this awful news on Sunday, showing how bad things are getting in the blocked area. Aid groups and the UN are saying this is a man-made famine because there’s just not enough food, water, and other basics getting in.
Rising Death Numbers
Munir al-Bursh, who heads the Gaza Health Ministry, said the number of people dying of hunger is going up fast. On Sunday, they reported seven more deaths, including two kids. These deaths aren’t just from the recent fighting. They’ve been adding up since the conflict began in October 2023.
It’s especially terrible that 110 children have died. Doctors in Gaza have been saying that young kids are the most at risk when there’s not enough food. Their bodies can’t handle being hungry and thirsty for long.
What’s Causing This?
People in Gaza don’t have enough to eat because of the ongoing military actions and the blockade. Aid groups and the UN say it’s mostly because they can’t get enough aid in. Groups like Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders keep saying that Israel’s rules are stopping them from bringing in important supplies.
Israel controls who gets in and out of Gaza. They say they have these rules to stop aid from going to Hamas. But aid groups say the rules are too strict and are using aid as a weapon. The Gaza Government Media Office says that all border crossings have been closed since March, so no food, water, or aid can get in.
The World Reacts
The world is speaking out, criticizing what’s happening and asking for action. UN officials, like Michael Fakhri, who focuses on the right to food, have said Israel is starving Gaza and causing conditions that could lead to physical destruction, which they say is like genocide. The International Criminal Court (ICC) even issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024, saying they’re guilty of using starvation as a war tactic.
Israel says this isn’t true. Their military claims they looked into it and didn’t find widespread malnutrition. They also say that some of the kids who died had health problems before. But doctors in Gaza disagree. They say that even if some kids were already sick, the lack of food and medicine made them die faster.
Problems Getting Aid In
Even when aid is allowed into Gaza, it’s hard to get it to people. Roads and communication systems have been destroyed, so it’s hard to deliver supplies safely. There have also been reports of attacks on aid trucks and distribution centers, causing many deaths among Palestinians trying to get food.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has had to stop or reduce its work because it’s too risky for their workers and the people who need help. The Gaza Health Ministry says that over 1,900 Palestinians have died trying to get aid since May 27. This means there’s either not enough aid, or it’s too dangerous to get, making things even worse.
The System Is Collapsing
The crisis is about more than just food. The healthcare system has fallen apart. Most hospitals are destroyed or not working, so doctors can’t treat people who are starving or sick from it. There’s also not enough clean water, which is spreading diseases and making people weaker.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which is how the world measures hunger, says that Gaza has already reached two of the three levels that mean famine. The IPC reported in July that people are eating much less food and that malnutrition is a big problem. They haven’t officially declared a famine because it’s hard to get good data on deaths, but experts say things look really bad.
What Will Happen?
This crisis will have long-lasting effects. Kids who survive but were malnourished might have permanent brain and body damage. Schools have been shut down, and almost everyone has been forced to leave their homes, which has torn apart the community in Gaza.
People around the world are calling for a ceasefire and for aid to be allowed in without problems. Aid groups have tons of supplies in nearby countries like Egypt and Jordan, waiting for permission to enter Gaza safely. The lives of millions of Palestinians are at risk, and the world is watching to see if a full-blown famine can be stopped.
Reported by: Herohind News Desk
