A 4-year-old boy from Palestine died from severe malnutrition. His death is a sign of a growing hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip.
The boy, Mustafa Mohammed Yassin, was a victim of the crisis that started when Israel blocked food and medicine from entering the area in March.
Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for the Gaza Civil Defense, warns that many more children will die if the blockade continues.
At least 26 Palestinians, including 9 children, have died from hunger and lack of medical care in the past 24 hours. Since March, at least 57 children have died from malnutrition.
A woman from Gaza says her husband often comes home empty-handed after searching for food all day. She has to divide a single tomato or cucumber among her children.
Israel claims to have allowed 388 aid trucks into Gaza, but humanitarian organizations say only 119 actually made it in. Many were looted or couldn’t deliver aid because Israel kept attacking those trying to bring in supplies.
Gaza needs at least 500 aid trucks per day to save the people from starving.
International human rights groups say Israel is using hunger as a weapon of war by blocking humanitarian aid, which is a war crime under international law.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes.