A heartbreaking tragedy unfolded in Gaza as a 5-month-old Palestinian baby, Zeinab Abu Halib, succumbed to severe malnutrition while cradled in her mother’s arms on Friday. This incident is a stark reminder of the ongoing starvation crisis that has sparked international outrage and continues to worsen.
As her mother, Israa Abu Halib, desperately attempted to transport her daughter to a hospital in southern Gaza, she recounted the harrowing ordeal to CNN on Saturday. “Zeinab has been in and out of the hospital for the last three months,” she revealed. “I had to walk for more than 30 minutes as there is no transportation… The dirt road was so long, the weather was so hot, but I kept walking even though I was hungry and didn’t have water.”
Tragically, as they made their way, Abu Halib felt her daughter’s tiny body grow still. “Suddenly I felt that she stopped moving and breathing; her body became heavier,” she shared, her voice heavy with grief. “I don’t know what to say anymore. How many innocent babies like Zeinab should be starved to death so the world wakes up?”
Dr. Munir al-Boursh, Director General of the Ministry of Health, confirmed that Zeinab “died from complications of severe malnutrition.” He poignantly described her condition, stating, “She was left to waste away until she became skin over bones.” Alarmingly, he noted that over 260,000 children under the age of five in Gaza are currently suffering from malnutrition.
The health ministry reported on Friday that since the onset of the conflict in 2023, 122 people have died from malnutrition in Gaza, including 83 children. The majority of these tragic deaths have occurred since early March when Israel imposed restrictions on aid deliveries to Gaza. Although there was a partial lifting of the ban in late May, aid agencies have indicated that the volume of assistance provided remains inadequate to meet the pressing needs of the population.
Non-governmental organization Doctors Without Borders has highlighted the escalating crisis, revealing that a quarter of children aged 6 months to 5 years, as well as pregnant or breastfeeding women, screened at their Gaza facilities last week were malnourished. The organization reported a staggering quadrupling of the number of individuals they are treating for malnutrition since May 18.
This crisis underscores the dire need for immediate humanitarian assistance and intervention in Gaza, as the impact of malnutrition continues to take a devastating toll on the most vulnerable populations, particularly children. As the world watches, the question remains: how many more lives will be lost before action is taken?
