GAZA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) Dr. Muhammad Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, has warned that over 17,000 children in Gaza are now in a state of severe malnutrition, with hunger-related deaths rising rapidly due to the ongoing Israeli blockade and starvation policy.
He confirmed that 154 people, including 89 children, have died from hunger so far, and that hospitals are overwhelmed, with bed capacity at Al-Shifa exceeding 250%. Children, he stressed, “are the most vulnerable and cannot survive famine for long.”
The doctor described the situation as a medical and humanitarian catastrophe, noting that 90% of patients lack daily access to food, and that 12% of cases suffer from acute malnutrition. He warned that if crossings are not opened immediately, “a massacre is imminent”.
Hospitals are unable to provide essential nutritional care, and premature infants are at extreme risk due to the lack of baby milk. Gazans, he added, have resorted to herbs to survive.
Abu Salmiya called on international and UN agencies to act urgently to bring in food, baby milk, medicines, and high-energy nutritional supplements, and to allow medical evacuations for critical cases. Without intervention, he warned, death tolls will continue to rise sharply.
