9 more Palestinians, including 2 children, die of starvation in Gaza amid Israeli blockade

At least nine more Palestinians, including two children, died in the last 24 hours due to severe malnutrition in the Gaza Strip, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said Friday.

The ministry's director general, Munir al-Bursh, told Anadolu that the new deaths raise the total toll from starvation-related causes since Oct. 7, 2023, to 122, among them 83 children.

Gaza is currently experiencing one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in its history. With humanitarian aid largely blocked, the spread of hunger and visible signs of acute malnutrition, especially among children and patients, are being reported across the territory. Health facilities have warned of increasing deaths from preventable conditions due to lack of food, medicine, and fuel.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has killed more than 59,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.