The Palestinian Ministry of Health has confirmed that at least 57 children in the Gaza Strip have now died from malnutrition, as famine continues to spread across the besieged territory under Israel’s blockade.

Describing the crisis as a double killing, the ministry stressed that more than 16,000 children have already lost their lives since the onset of the war, while countless others now face death from hunger and disease. The ongoing prevention of food, medicine, and essential vaccines, including for polio, has pushed Gaza’s youngest and most vulnerable beyond the brink.

Dr. Marwan Al-Hams, Director of Field Hospitals in Gaza, painted a devastating picture, warning that famine is no longer a threat—it is a reality. “Most of Gaza’s population is now starving,” he said. “There is no baby formula for infants, no medication for expectant mothers. Medical teams are helpless.”

Calling on the international community to intervene, he pleaded: “We want to live in peace, just like any other people around the world.”

Human rights observers echo his alarm. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor described the starvation of Gaza’s population as a deliberate, fully visible crime, not one needing investigation but immediate action. The organisation noted a surge in natural deaths, particularly among children and the elderly, as Gaza’s humanitarian collapse deepens by the day.