Warnings of Imminent Deaths Among Premature Infants as Formula Supplies Run Out in Gaza
DaysofPal – Dr. Ahmad Al-Farra, Head of Pediatrics and Maternity at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, has issued a dire warning: infant formula has not entered the Gaza Strip in over four months—neither through the healthcare system, the private sector, nor international organizations—resulting in a total depletion of critical supplies.
In a press statement, Dr. Al-Farra revealed that 25 infants are currently in the neonatal unit at Nasser Medical Complex, all of whom are suffering due to the absence of types 1 and 2 formula, along with specialized formulas needed for premature babies.
'We have reached zero hour,' he said. 'Without immediate intervention, the lives of premature and newborn children are at risk in the next 48 hours.'
He called on all relevant authorities and humanitarian bodies to exert pressure on the Israeli authorities to allow infant formula into Gaza immediately.
UNICEF has also sounded the alarm, noting that children undergoing treatment for malnutrition are now in grave danger. Since March 18, 2025, 21 nutrition treatment centers—15% of Gaza's outpatient facilities—have been shut down due to Israeli evacuation orders or direct bombardment.
This closure has left about 350 children without access to essential nutritional treatment, placing their lives at imminent risk of worsening malnutrition.
UNICEF further warned that supplementary infant foods, crucial for child development amid food shortages, have been entirely depleted in central and southern Gaza. Only enough ready-to-use infant formula remains to support 400 children for one month.
The agency estimates that nearly 10,000 infants under six months old require supplementary feeding. With no access to formula, many families are forced to resort to unsafe substitutes mixed with contaminated water, compounding the health risks.
Due to the ongoing war, genocide, and mass displacement, UNICEF has also been forced to scale back mental health services, psychosocial support, mine risk education, and child protection case management.
According to Gaza's Government Media Office, Israel is deliberately committing mass starvation by maintaining a total blockade of Gaza's border crossings. Over the past two months, no humanitarian aid has been allowed in, with more than 18,600 aid trucks and 1,550 fuel trucks blocked, and over 60 food kitchens and aid distribution centers bombed.
The unfolding crisis threatens to result in preventable deaths of infants and children in the coming hours and days unless immediate humanitarian access is restored.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=64924
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Days of Palestine
18 hours ago
- Days of Palestine
UN Official says Israel's Gaza aid system is a lethal trap for starving civilians
DaysofPal – The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees has condemned the US-Israel-backed aid delivery system in Gaza as a 'lethal' and 'medieval' mechanism that is contributing to mass deaths among starving civilians in the besieged territory. Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, issued a scathing rebuke of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israel-endorsed aid coordination entity, accusing it of militarizing humanitarian relief and deliberately endangering lives. 'It is now the routine to shoot and kill desperate and starving people while they try to collect little food from a company made of mercenaries,' Lazzarini wrote in a post on X. 'A lame, medieval, and lethal system that is deliberately harming people under the camouflage of 'humanitarian aid' with lies, deceit, and cruelty. Inviting starving people to their death is a war crime. Those responsible for this system must be held accountable.' The remarks come amid growing international outcry over Israel's ongoing offensive in Gaza, which has left more than 55,630 people dead since October 7, 2023, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Thousands of those killed were reportedly seeking food or aid at GHF-run distribution sites. Mass killings at aid checkpoints According to UNRWA and media reports, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed at aid distribution points since the GHF launched operations three weeks ago. Gaza-based correspondents reported that at least 420 people were killed and more than 3,000 injured by Israeli fire near three aid sites in central and southern Gaza. 'You go there to get food, but you never know if you'll make it back,' one Palestinian told reporters, calling the sites 'execution grounds.' On Wednesday alone, at least 47 Palestinians were killed, including 14 aid workers, further underscoring the growing dangers of accessing life-saving assistance. Starvation as a Weapon of War Human rights groups and UN officials have accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war. Palestinians, including children, have died from malnutrition and dehydration, while Israeli forces have reportedly restricted humanitarian access and blocked essential supplies. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has denounced the repeated killing of civilians at aid sites, calling the pattern 'unacceptable' and demanding an independent investigation. 'The needs of the Palestinian people remain unmet,' said UN spokesperson Farhan Haq at a recent briefing. 'The Secretary-General continues to call for accountability and for Israel to uphold its obligations under international humanitarian law.' UNRWA has warned that Gaza's health system is on the verge of total collapse. Forty-five percent of essential medical supplies are out of stock, and the remaining inventory could be depleted within six weeks. Vital medicines and blood products are nearly exhausted, while fuel shortages have crippled hospitals, which depend entirely on generators to function. 'The amount of fuel in the hospitals is enough for three days only,' Gaza's Health Ministry said, blaming Israeli restrictions that prevent fuel delivery to areas designated as combat zones. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that for over 100 days, no fuel has entered Gaza, with Israeli forces denying access to fuel reserves in affected areas. 'This is pushing the health system closer to the brink of collapse,' Tedros stated. The recent blackout, according to the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, was brought on by a fresh outage along one of the main routes, which was brought on by ongoing Israeli attacks on landline and internet infrastructure. 'There has been a new outage in the fiber optic line,' said Laith Daraghmeh, executive director of Gaza's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority. 'As a result, there are currently no communications services in southern and central Gaza.' The Government Media Office condemned the blackout, calling it 'a crime aimed at obscuring the truth and deepening the humanitarian catastrophe.' 'The widespread and recurring interruption of communications and the internet cannot be considered a technical or accidental failure,' it said. 'Rather, it is a deliberate and premeditated crime aimed at isolating the Gaza Strip from the outside world, obscuring the truth, and depriving citizens of the most basic necessities of life, safety, communication, and assistance.' In his remarks, Lazzarini called for the immediate reinstatement of humanitarian principles and unimpeded access for aid workers and specialists. 'Humanitarian principles must be reinstated. Experts must be allowed into Gaza to provide assistance,' he urged. Shortlink for this post:
Days of Palestine
2 days ago
- Days of Palestine
Israeli leaders decry hospital strike as ‘immoral,' despite turning Gaza's hospitals into graveyards
DaysofPal – Tel Aviv's outrage over a missile strike near Soroka Hospital in southern Israel has drawn widespread criticism and accusations of hypocrisy, as Israel continues its systematic destruction of Gaza's hospitals in a war that has lasted over 21 months. Condemnation of Iran, accusations of 'war crime' On Thursday, Israel accused Iran of launching a direct missile strike on Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, calling it a 'terrorist crime' and a blatant war crime. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Tehran had targeted 'civilian residents in the heart of Israel,' while Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the attack was 'a war crime' and vowed retaliation. Israeli Sports Minister Miki Zohar described the attackers as 'the most despicable people on earth,' accusing Iran of crossing moral boundaries by targeting a hospital. 'Only the scum of the earth and cowards launch missiles at children lying in hospitals,' he wrote. Iran denies, says strike targeted military base near hospital Iran quickly denied the Israeli narrative, clarifying that its missile targeted a military intelligence headquarters adjacent to the hospital, not the hospital itself. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that the strike hit its intended target 'precisely and accurately,' and Iranian state media noted that Soroka Hospital suffered collateral damage from the explosion's blast wave. Some reports on Iranian and independent media suggested that a secret military command center was operating beneath the hospital, possibly storing weapons or hazardous materials previously relocated from targeted Israeli bases. Israel Quiet on Its Own Hospital Bombings in Gaza and Iran Critics have been quick to highlight Israel's silence, or justification, when it comes to its own documented record of hospital bombings in Gaza and, more recently, in Iran. On Monday, Iranian outlets reported that Israeli warplanes struck Al-Farabi Hospital in Kermanshah, and the Hakim Children's Hospital in Tehran was reportedly hit just days earlier. The Iranian Ministry of Health has confirmed these attacks. But the contrast is most stark in Gaza. Israel has rendered dozens of hospitals in Gaza inoperable. Since October 7, 2023, Israel's military has bombed, besieged, and destroyed hospitals across Gaza as part of what Palestinians and international observers have increasingly called a genocide. Among the most heavily hit: – Al-Shifa Medical Complex: Gaza's largest hospital was raided, bombed, and rendered non-functional. More than 300 bodies were found after Israeli forces withdrew in March 2024. – Nasser Medical Complex: Repeatedly targeted, including the assassination of Dr. Ismail Barhoum. Now lies in ruins. – Al-Ahli Arab Hospital (Baptist Hospital): Bombed on October 17, 2023, killing 500 patients and displaced people. – Kamal Adwan Hospital: Stormed in December 2024. Staff were ordered to strip at gunpoint. – Al-Amal Hospital: Forced evacuations and closures under Israeli military pressure. – Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital: The Strip's only cancer center, bombed into total closure. – Al-Rantisi Children's Hospital: Its dialysis unit was destroyed, resulting in the death of pediatric patients. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently confirmed that at least 94% of Gaza's hospitals have been damaged or destroyed, with only 19 of 36 partially operational, and even those teetering on collapse due to fuel shortages, lack of staff, and unrelenting attacks. The Gaza Health Ministry has warned that the remaining hospitals may be forced to shut down within days due to Israel's blockade on fuel deliveries, despite these facilities relying entirely on generators. International and UN agencies have reportedly been denied access to hospital fuel depots, now labeled 'red zones' by the Israeli army. Essential lifelines in Gaza are collapsing, according to UNRWA and OCHA, as water is drying up, ambulances are immobilized, and almost half of all vital medical supplies are running low. Backlash on social media: 'hypocrisy on full display' The Israeli government's condemnation of the Soroka incident sparked widespread criticism online, where users accused it of staggering hypocrisy. 'If this is a war crime, then Israel is the greatest war criminal alive,' one user wrote. 'You can't spend a year bombing hospitals and then cry foul when it happens to you.' Palestinian journalist Hamza Yusuf mocked Western media's double standard: 'No 'health officials say'?' ' No 'according to locals'? No 'Likud-run health ministry claims'? Interesting.' Irish journalist Barry Malone added, 'The difference in reporting on hospitals being hit in Israel versus Gaza should be studied in journalism schools. The bias is that blatant.' Others argued that Israel had 'normalized' the bombing of hospitals through its own actions in Gaza, paving the way for such attacks to become militarily and diplomatically tolerated—until it happens to them. A Pattern of Impunity While Tel Aviv invokes international law to decry attacks on its territory, its own track record suggests a pattern of impunity. For nearly two years, hospitals in Gaza have been turned into graveyards under Israeli fire. And as the war spreads into regional theaters, critics say Israel can no longer pretend to be both an aggressor and a victim. Shortlink for this post:
Days of Palestine
2 days ago
- Days of Palestine
Warnings of Imminent Deaths Among Premature Infants as Formula Supplies Run Out in Gaza
DaysofPal – Dr. Ahmad Al-Farra, Head of Pediatrics and Maternity at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, has issued a dire warning: infant formula has not entered the Gaza Strip in over four months—neither through the healthcare system, the private sector, nor international organizations—resulting in a total depletion of critical supplies. In a press statement, Dr. Al-Farra revealed that 25 infants are currently in the neonatal unit at Nasser Medical Complex, all of whom are suffering due to the absence of types 1 and 2 formula, along with specialized formulas needed for premature babies. 'We have reached zero hour,' he said. 'Without immediate intervention, the lives of premature and newborn children are at risk in the next 48 hours.' He called on all relevant authorities and humanitarian bodies to exert pressure on the Israeli authorities to allow infant formula into Gaza immediately. UNICEF has also sounded the alarm, noting that children undergoing treatment for malnutrition are now in grave danger. Since March 18, 2025, 21 nutrition treatment centers—15% of Gaza's outpatient facilities—have been shut down due to Israeli evacuation orders or direct bombardment. This closure has left about 350 children without access to essential nutritional treatment, placing their lives at imminent risk of worsening malnutrition. UNICEF further warned that supplementary infant foods, crucial for child development amid food shortages, have been entirely depleted in central and southern Gaza. Only enough ready-to-use infant formula remains to support 400 children for one month. The agency estimates that nearly 10,000 infants under six months old require supplementary feeding. With no access to formula, many families are forced to resort to unsafe substitutes mixed with contaminated water, compounding the health risks. Due to the ongoing war, genocide, and mass displacement, UNICEF has also been forced to scale back mental health services, psychosocial support, mine risk education, and child protection case management. According to Gaza's Government Media Office, Israel is deliberately committing mass starvation by maintaining a total blockade of Gaza's border crossings. Over the past two months, no humanitarian aid has been allowed in, with more than 18,600 aid trucks and 1,550 fuel trucks blocked, and over 60 food kitchens and aid distribution centers bombed. The unfolding crisis threatens to result in preventable deaths of infants and children in the coming hours and days unless immediate humanitarian access is restored. Shortlink for this post:
