Palestinian child dies of malnutrition in Gaza as siege-induced famine deepens

The Gaza Civil Defense announced the death of 4-year-old Mohammed Mustafa Yassin due to malnutrition amid the ongoing siege and continued Israeli starvation policy, Anadolu reports.

Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said in a video statement: “Mohammed Yassin died from hunger, a direct result of the occupation’s prevention of food and medical aid from entering Gaza.”

“Mohammed was not the first child, and the fear has become a certainty that he won’t be the last, as the Zionist starvation war continues,” Basal added.

In a recorded video, Basal appears carrying the body of young Yassin, who died of malnutrition in Gaza City.

Earlier on Saturday, the Government Media Office in Gaza reported that during 80 days of the Israeli blockade, 58 people died due to malnutrition, and 242 others due to a lack of food and medicine, most of them elderly.

READ: Israel continues to close crossings, enforce systematic starvation: Gaza government

On Wednesday, Israel allowed the entry of 87 aid trucks for various international and local organizations for the first time in 81 days of strict closure, according to the Media Office, which emphasized that the Strip requires at least 500 trucks per day.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 53,900 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.​​​​​​​

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against defenseless civilians in the enclave.

READ: Israel allows only ‘teaspoon of aid’ into Gaza amid ‘atrocious levels of death and destruction’: UN chief