One in four children and pregnant women in the Gaza Strip is suffering from malnutrition as a direct result of what Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) calls Israel’s “policy of starvation.” The humanitarian organization has raised the alarm over a dramatic rise in malnutrition cases treated at its medical centers.
In a statement, MSF denounced the deliberate use of starvation as a weapon of war, saying it has reached “unprecedented levels,” affecting both patients and healthcare workers who are themselves struggling to survive.
At its clinic in Gaza City, MSF reported a fourfold increase in malnutrition cases since mid-May. Severe malnutrition among children under the age of five has tripled in the past two weeks, according to the organization’s data.
“Every day, we’re receiving around 25 new patients suffering from malnutrition. Exhaustion and hunger are visible even in our own colleagues,” said Caroline Willemen, MSF project coordinator in the Gazan capital.
MSF also warned that hundreds of people seeking aid continue to be exposed to attacks by Israeli forces and private security contractors at food distribution points managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an organization backed by Israel.
“It is inconceivable — an entire population is being deliberately deprived of food and water, while Israeli forces commit daily massacres as people fight for scraps of food,” said Amande Bazerolle, MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza. “Any trace of humanity in Gaza has been annihilated in this ongoing genocide.”
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, since GHF — linked to former U.S. military and intelligence officials — began distributing food two months ago, more than 1,000 people have been killed and around 7,200 injured during aid deliveries.
“This is not humanitarian aid — these are war crimes carried out in broad daylight, wrapped in compassionate language,” said Dr. Mohammed Abu Mughaisib, MSF’s deputy medical coordinator in Gaza. “Those who go to these distribution sites know they have the same chance of getting a sack of flour as they do of leaving with a bullet in the head.”
