Malnutrition, a lack of aid, and dead children: Gaza's humanitarian crisis worsens
Hundreds of Palestinians in the enclave have been killed trying to collect aid, while dozens of people, including children, have died from malnutrition.
As the crisis in Gaza spirals, the region is being swallowed by an intensifying wave of hunger and despair. Health workers on the ground say the situation is growing more catastrophic by the day, with children perishing from malnutrition and desperate civilians dying in their attempts to access food.
From Khan Younis to Gaza City, the story is tragically the same: widespread hunger, limited relief, and a population teetering on the edge of collapse. “Even those of us who are still young are struggling to walk,” shared Walid Abu Mohsen, a father of seven. He spoke moments after managing to seize a sack of flour from one of the few aid trucks that had made it into the city, a brief moment of triumph amid an ocean of desperation.
In another part of Gaza, harrowing footage showed bodies sprawled on the ground—victims of what should have been a lifeline: food aid. For many families, the attempt to get sustenance has become a deadly gamble.
“Famine is now hitting Gaza with terrifying force,” warned Dr. Mohammed Salmiya, who leads Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital. He described wave after wave of patients flooding into the already strained facility, their bodies weakened from lack of food. Just on Saturday, two children died from malnutrition there, he said.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported 19 deaths due to malnutrition in a single day—Monday alone. While NBC News couldn’t verify the count independently, the figures align with mounting reports from aid organizations. Since the war began, more than 70 people in Gaza have reportedly died from starvation-related causes, with over 50 of them children. The World Health Organization attributes many of these deaths to Israel’s severe restrictions on humanitarian access, which began in March and only eased marginally in May.
Even with that partial lifting of the blockade, only a limited stream of aid has been allowed in—much of it channeled through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial body supported by both the U.S. and Israel. That distribution effort has faced strong criticism from the United Nations and other humanitarian actors, with many accusing the program of falling dramatically short and even endangering lives.
The risks have proven all too real. On Sunday, what appears to have been the deadliest day yet in terms of aid-related casualties unfolded. Dr. Marwan Al-Hams, head of field hospitals in the area, said more than 90 people lost their lives trying to reach supplies.
According to Zaher al-Waheidi of the Health Ministry, most of those killed were attempting to access aid from a crossing with Israel. The incident, although separate from the official GHF distribution operation, highlighted the constant danger civilians face while seeking help.
The World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed that one of its convoys—25 trucks carrying essential food—came under fire near the Zikim border. As the convoy approached, thousands of civilians gathered, hoping for a chance at survival. But instead of aid, many were met with bullets. WFP said Israeli tanks, snipers, and gunfire unleashed chaos and death on the crowd. Countless lives were lost.
The Israel Defense Forces offered no immediate response when asked for comment. The United Nations human rights office, OHCHR, recently noted that nearly 900 individuals have now been killed while attempting to access food.
In the face of such carnage, the GHF released a statement on Sunday claiming to have distributed more than 82 million meals since beginning operations in late May. However, with 2.1 million people in Gaza, that number breaks down to less than one meal per person per day across the 50+ days since the program launched.
While other humanitarian efforts are underway, the supply remains far from sufficient. Scarcity has driven food prices through the roof, putting even the smallest portions out of reach for most families.
A chilling statistic from the WFP: nearly one in three Gaza residents is going entire days without eating. “This is the worst I’ve seen in my career,” said Carl Skau, the WFP’s Deputy Executive Director. He described hearing from mothers who begged their children to stop playing to preserve their energy—because there simply wasn’t food to sustain them.
In an email to NBC News, a GHF spokesperson admitted, “There isn’t enough aid coming into Gaza.” They added that while GHF has managed to deliver some aid, it is the only organization doing so, and called for broader access urgently.
Israeli officials did not comment on GHF’s concerns or the lack of food reaching many communities. However, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani of the Israel Defense Forces claimed in a post on X that more than 700 aid trucks were already inside Gaza, waiting for distribution.
But logistics remain a nightmare. Aid workers on the ground say the current flow is a trickle compared to what’s needed—and before the war, Gaza relied on the steady arrival of 500 aid trucks daily, according to the British Red Cross. Even when trucks get in, distributing their contents amid bombings, blockades, and civil breakdown is a monumental task.
The people of Gaza are facing an unfathomable humanitarian catastrophe. Hunger has turned fatal, and the mechanisms of relief—strained, politicized, and inadequate-are struggling to offer even the most basic forms of salvation. For many, hope is fading faster than food supplies.
Starvation is also a form of genocide! I wish I could do something useful to get food into their hands with out them being shot by the IDF!
Criminal!