Watan-This video footage captures harrowing scenes of a Palestinian infant, likely on the brink of death, due to food scarcity in Gaza and the rampant spread of hunger. Civil defense crews were attempting to transport the baby to the “Shifa” hospital in the Gaza Strip.
This comes at a time when the World Food Programme estimates that over a quarter of Gaza’s population has depleted their food supplies, with Israel continuing to block the entry of foodstuffs and essential supplies into the besieged territory.
A Palestinian Infant Nearing Death Due to Starvation
The video shows a civil defense member recounting how, upon returning from a mission, they encountered a woman carrying her child in the street, crying out for help. The volunteer noted that the sight drew their attention, and upon closer inspection, they found the woman carrying an infant displaying signs of imminent death.
مشاهد قاسية لرضيع يصارع الموت نتيجة قلة الغذاء في غزة وطواقم الدفاع المدني تنقله لمستشفى الشفاء#حرب_غزة #فيديو pic.twitter.com/E1cwwU3hJA
— الجزيرة فلسطين (@AJA_Palestine) February 23, 2024
After being brought to the Shifa Medical Complex and undergoing initial examination, it was revealed that the baby suffered from severe malnutrition, prompting admission to the intensive care unit.
UNICEF has warned that 90% of children in the Gaza Strip are suffering from malnutrition.
Hasn’t Had Milk for Days
The volunteer, as distressing scenes of the child struggling to breathe are displayed, mentioned that the baby hadn’t had milk for days due to its unavailability in Gaza.
The medic in the heartbreaking video appealed to the World Health Organization and the global community to urgently save as many of Gaza’s children as possible from this grim reality and dire circumstances before it’s too late.
The sharp rise in malnutrition rates among children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers in Gaza poses serious threats to their health. According to UNICEF, one in six children under the age of two suffers from acute malnutrition, especially in northern Gaza.