might have kept them alive — had run out due to Israel’s blockade. The available alternatives were ineffective. One by one, over four days, the babies and toddlers died.

In growing numbers, emaciated children are overwhelming the Patient’s Friends Hospital, the main emergency center for malnourished children in northern Gaza. The deaths marked a grim turning point: the first fatalities among children without preexisting conditions. Symptoms are worsening, with children too weak to cry or move, said Dr. Rana Soboh, a nutritionist at the facility. In recent months, many children still recovered despite supply shortages. Now, patients linger for weeks without improvement, Soboh said.

“There are no words in the face of the disaster we are in. Kids are dying before the world. There is no uglier and more horrible phase than this,” said Soboh, who works with MedGlobal, a U.S.-based aid organization supporting the hospital.

According to aid workers and health officials, Gaza’s hunger crisis — fueled by Israel’s blockade since March — has reached a tipping point, with death rates accelerating. Children, typically the most vulnerable, are dying alongside adults.

In the past three weeks, at least 48 people — including 28 adults and 20 children — have died of malnutrition-related causes, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported Thursday. That figure represents a sharp rise compared with the 10 child deaths recorded in the five previous months of 2025.

The United Nations has reported similar data. The World Health Organization said Wednesday it has documented 21 deaths among children under five due to malnutrition this year. The UN humanitarian office, OCHA, said Thursday that at least 13 child deaths were reported in July alone, with numbers continuing to rise daily. (Jamaica Gleaner)