A Palestinian child has died of hunger in Gaza as Israel maintains its blockade on assist provides and fires on individuals pressured to hunt meals at controversial United States-backed assist websites described as “demise traps”.
The 35-day-old toddler died of malnutrition at Gaza Metropolis’s al-Shifa Hospital, director Muhammad Abu Salmiya instructed Al Jazeera. The unnamed toddler was considered one of two individuals who succumbed to hunger within the facility on Saturday.
The deaths occurred as Gaza’s Ministry of Well being warned that hospital emergency wards had been overwhelmed by unprecedented numbers of ravenous individuals, with officers saying that 17,000 youngsters in Gaza are affected by extreme malnutrition.
In the meantime, the Israeli navy continued to pound the Strip, with medical sources reporting that at the least 116 individuals had been killed throughout the enclave since daybreak, together with 38 who had been shot useless whereas searching for meals from assist websites run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Basis (GHF).
Civil defence company spokesman Mahmud Bassal mentioned the deaths occurred close to a website southwest of Khan Yunis and one other centre northwest of Rafah, each in southern Gaza, attributing the fatalities to “Israeli gunfire”.
The Well being Ministry says virtually 900 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and personal navy contractors close to harmful GHF websites for the reason that basis started distributing assist in late Could, opening 4 factors that changed about 400 centres run by United Nations companies and charities.
Witness Mohammed al-Khalidi instructed Al Jazeera the pictures fired at assist seekers on Saturday had been “meant to kill”.
“Abruptly, we noticed the jeeps coming from one facet and the tanks from the opposite, and so they began taking pictures at us,” he mentioned.
One other witness, Mohammed al-Barbary, whose cousin died within the shootings, mentioned the GHF websites are “demise traps”.
“Anybody can get killed. My cousin was harmless. He went to get meals. He needed to dwell. We need to dwell like everybody else,” mentioned al-Barbary.
Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary mentioned households hoping for one thing to eat are as a substitute burying their family members.
The GHF denied that Saturday’s killings occurred at its website, claiming they occurred “a number of kilometres away” and “hours earlier than our websites opened”.
The Israeli navy mentioned it was reviewing the incident.
‘Open the gates’
Jagan Chapagain, the secretary-general of the Worldwide Federation of Pink Cross and Pink Crescent Societies, warned that Palestinians in Gaza face “an acute threat of famine”.
“Nobody ought to should threat their life to get fundamental humanitarian help,” he mentioned.
Primary provides aren’t out there in markets or distribution factors, whereas the price of necessities corresponding to flour skyrocketed, making it inconceivable for the inhabitants of two.3 million to satisfy their every day dietary wants.
Nobody ought to should threat their life to get fundamental humanitarian help.
Current weeks have seen determined individuals risking their lives simply to obtain fundamental assist in Gaza.
The inhabitants is dealing with an acute threat of famine, with repeatedly worsening circumstances. Primary meals…
— Jagan Chapagain (@jagan_chapagain) July 19, 2025
Jan Egeland, the pinnacle of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), rejected assertions made earlier within the week by European Union international coverage chief Kaja Kallas, who famous “some good indicators” concerning assist distribution in Gaza.
“For NRC and lots of others no reduction has entered for 142 days. Not one truck. Not one supply,” Egeland wrote on X. He famous that 85 p.c of assist vans by no means attain their vacation spot due to looting or different points fuelled by the Gaza hunger disaster.
The UN company for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, which Israel has banned from working within the Palestinian territory, together with in occupied East Jerusalem, mentioned it had “sufficient meals for the whole inhabitants of Gaza” ready on the border crossing in Egypt.
“Open the gates, elevate the siege and permit UNRWA to do its work,” the organisation mentioned on X.
Wave of assaults
At the very least 116 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza on Saturday as Israel continued its ruthless onslaught, bombing tents for the displaced and houses throughout the enclave.
4 our bodies had been recovered from the positioning of Israeli strikes on Bani Suheila close to southern Khan Younis, sources at Nasser Hospital instructed Al Jazeera.
At the very least one particular person was killed by an Israeli drone assault on a tent housing displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis.
Additional north, Israel struck a residential house within the city of az-Zawayda in central Gaza, killing the director of the Nuseirat police, Colonel Omar Saeed Aql, together with 11 of his members of the family, in line with the Inside Ministry.
In Gaza Metropolis, three individuals had been killed in two Israeli air assaults on the Zeitoun neighbourhood, in line with a supply at al-Ahli Hospital.
Additionally within the metropolis, 5 individuals had been killed in an Israeli air assault on the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood, in line with the Palestinian Pink Crescent.
Medical sources mentioned two individuals had been killed in Israeli shelling within the Jabalia an-Nazla neighbourhood, in northern Gaza.
Israeli forces additionally opened fireplace on and arrested three Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza coast, in line with the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Workplace.
The Israeli navy has maintained a naval blockade on Gaza since 2007, when Hamas took over the enclave, which has been tightened for the reason that begin of the conflict in October 2023.