Israel has forcibly starved Gaza’s population, allowing only limited amounts of aid into the enclave [Getty]
The death toll from Israel’s forced starvation of Gaza has risen to 300, including 117 children, Gaza’s health ministry announced on Monday.
The ministry said it had recorded “11 deaths due to starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours, including two children”.
Israel closed all crossings into Gaza on 2 March, preventing all humanitarian aid from entering the enclave. The forced starvation of Gaza’s population has plunged it into a state of famine, with aid trucks waiting at the border.
Israel has allowed limited quantities of aid into the territory, however aid agencies and rights groups have said it is not enough to meet the population’s needs.
On Friday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned that famine will spread to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis in central and southern Gaza by September.
The report from the UN-backed body said that more than half a million in Gaza face starvation and death, while 1.07 million people are at emergency levels of food insecurity. At least 132,000 children in Gaza under the age of five are at risk of death due to malnutrition, according to the IPC.
Israel waged its latest war on Gaza beginning October 2023, killing over 62,000 Palestinians and wounding 157,951, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Israel is widely considered to be committing genocide in Gaza, including by UN experts and leading rights groups.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, including using starvation as a weapon of war.
