Amid intensifying Israeli operations in Gaza City, the enclave’s health authorities reported on Saturday that famine and malnutrition claimed ten more lives, including three children, in just the past day. The ministry said the overall death toll from hunger has now reached 332, of whom 124 were children.
UN officials have repeatedly warned that Gaza is spiraling toward a full-blown famine. Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said on Friday that half a million people are already living in the most extreme conditions, with another 160,000 expected to fall into that category soon. “There is no famine if sufficient food is allowed in,” he stressed, urging large-scale aid deliveries to be safely distributed across the Strip.
Health concerns extend beyond hunger. The World Health Organization (WHO) said 94 suspected cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare but potentially paralyzing disease, have been recorded in Gaza. Effective treatment requires hospital-based therapies such as immunoglobulin infusions or plasma exchange, but both, along with anti-inflammatory drugs, are unavailable because of aid restrictions. “Supplies must be rushed in alongside testing and monitoring,” said WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier.
Humanitarian operations also continue to face obstacles. According to OCHA, between 20 and 26 August, out of 89 planned relief missions, 53 were facilitated, while others were blocked, denied, or cancelled under pressure.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), renewed his plea for a ceasefire, warning that people are dying not only from bombardments but also from starvation and the collapse of essential services. “Every passing hour costs more lives,” he said in an interview with UN News.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced on Friday that it had begun the “initial stages” of its advance into Gaza City, designating the territory’s largest urban centre a “combat zone.” Since the war erupted on October 7 last year, Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 63,000 people have been killed and nearly 160,000 injured.
