Palestinian boy, 17, dies of Israel-induced starvation in Gaza

A Palestinian teen with nary erstwhile wellness conditions has starved to decease successful Gaza aft being hospitalised, aesculapian officials and relatives say, arsenic people successful the besieged enclave desperately conflict to find nutrient amid Israel’s continued blockade connected aid.

Atef Abu Khater, 17, died connected Saturday, a root astatine al-Shifa Hospital successful Gaza City told Al Jazeera.

His value had dropped from 70kg (154lbs) to conscionable 25kg (55lbs) erstwhile helium died, his household said – astir what a nine-year-old kid should weigh.

“We perceive from his household members and others who knew him that helium utilized to beryllium a section sports champion. He ended up losing a batch of weight, becoming acutely malnourished, and yet dying,” Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reported from Gaza City.

“He was 1 of thousands of severe malnutrition cases passim Gaza.”

Footage shared online and verified by Al Jazeera showed Abu Khater’s relatives saying goodbye. In it, the boy’s emaciated assemblage could beryllium seen successful an unfastened achromatic assemblage bag, his look turned distant from the camera.

His cheekbones protruded successful the lack of immoderate fat, giving him a gaunt appearance. A comparative could beryllium seen moving his digit on each bony connected the boy’s ribcage, which is intelligibly disposable owed to malnutrition.

Journalist Wisam Shabat, who posted the video connected his Instagram account, said Abu Khater arrived astatine the infirmary successful a precise captious condition, suffering from terrible complications owed to deficiency of nutrient and aesculapian care, earlier helium passed away.

The 17-year-old is among astatine slightest 7 Palestinians who person died of malnutrition successful the past 24 hours crossed Gaza, the manager of al-Shifa Hospital told Al Jazeera.

At slightest 169 Palestinians, including 93 children, person died of starvation and malnutrition crossed the territory since Israel’s warfare began successful October 2023, according to the latest Gaza Health Ministry figures.

UN and different humanitarian officials accidental Israeli restrictions connected humanitarian assistance deliveries, though partially lifted successful caller days, person near Palestinians starving and struggling to find capable nutrient to provender their families.

Amid increasing planetary condemnation of the crisis, Israel has said it is expanding assistance deliveries to Palestinians, including via airdrops.

But humanitarian groups accidental airdrops are unsafe and inefficient, and they person called connected Israel to unfastened up each the crossings into Gaza to let assistance to travel freely to Palestinians successful need.

Philippe Lazzarini, caput of the UN bureau for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), said connected Saturday that “the manmade famine successful Gaza has been mostly shaped by the deliberate attempts to replace” UN assistance systems with a contentious, US and Israeli-backed radical called the GHF.

Israeli forces person routinely fired connected Palestinians trying to get nutrient astatine GHF-run organisation sites successful Gaza, and the UN reported this week that much than 1,300 assistance seekers person been killed since the radical began operating successful May.

Lazzarini besides accused Israel of actively preventing the UN and different humanitarian groups from delivering lifesaving assistance to Palestinians, successful what helium described arsenic “a deliberate measurement to collectively unit and punish Palestinians for surviving successful Gaza”.

“No clip to discarded anymore, a governmental determination indispensable beryllium made to unconditionally unfastened the crossings”, the UNRWA main said successful a station connected X.

Children ‘dying slowly’

Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinian families proceed to hunt for nutrient and different desperately needed supplies crossed Gaza.

Reporting from Deir el-Balah successful cardinal Gaza connected Saturday, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said dozens of people, including infants, are “dying dilatory owed to forced starvation by Israel”.

“One of them is Misk al-Madhoun, a malnourished five-year-old whose parents person nary mode of feeding her. They accidental they are seeing her dying dilatory each azygous day,” said Khoudary, adding that parents are doing each they perchance tin for their children.

“We’ve met with mothers who are giving their babies h2o alternatively of beverage due to the fact that they bash not person immoderate different option,” she said.

“We’re besides inactive seeing Palestinian parents walking precise agelong distances successful the vigor regular to look for immoderate blistery repast room oregon organisation point. Even if they spell to the GHF sites, they hazard being killed, wounded oregon coming location empty-handed.”

On Tuesday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a planetary hunger monitoring system, warned that the “worst-case script of famine” was unfolding successful Gaza.

“Latest information indicates that famine thresholds person been reached for nutrient depletion successful astir of the Gaza Strip and for acute malnutrition successful Gaza City,” it said successful a report.

“Amid relentless conflict, wide displacement, severely restricted humanitarian access, and the illness of indispensable services, including healthcare, the situation has reached an alarming and deadly turning point.”