Seventeen-month-old Sham, a baby from Gaza, looks more like a child who has not yet reached her first birthday. Her frail and emaciated frame is a tragic reflection of the Israeli genocide in Gaza, where an unrelenting siege and starvation are destroying the lives of countless children.

Living on dwindling supplies of artificial milk, Sham suffers from severe malnutrition. Her mother, unable to provide adequate nourishment, watches helplessly as her daughter’s health deteriorates further, plagued by anaemia and stunted growth.

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), 96% of Gaza’s population is facing acute food insecurity, with nearly half a million, including many children, at risk of starvation. Kamal Adwan Hospital reports a surge in child fatalities due to hunger, while the World Food Programme has warned that one in three children under two in northern Gaza suffers from severe malnutrition.

Hospitals across Gaza are overwhelmed with cases of malnourished children, struggling with severe shortages of medical supplies and specialised care. Humanitarian agencies have issued urgent appeals for immediate action to save lives, warning that this crisis is the result of deliberate and systematic deprivation.