Fayiz Abu Ataya was born in the midst of a raging war. During his seven months of life, he never experienced anything else.
At least 30 children are reported to have died of starvation in Gaza, according to The Guardian. Israel's offensive against Rafah is rapidly worsening the situation.
Fayiz Abu Ataya died in his first and only spring. In the last few weeks, he wasted away to a transparent shadow – far from the round, happy boy who appears in photos on his father's phone. On photos taken at the end of May, his eyes and cheekbones have sunk in, his arms and legs are thin sticks, and the ribs seem to be almost bursting through the blue-tinged skin.
In other photos, he has been dressed up for his funeral. A small, small body in a completely too-large blue winter overall.
Earlier, malnutrition had been concentrated in northern Gaza. Ataya's death in Dayr al-Balah last week was a warning signal about the rapidly worsening situation since the border crossing in Rafah was closed by Israel, writes The Guardian. On Saturday, it is reported that another child, a 13-year-old boy, has died of malnutrition in the city in central Gaza.
Over 3,000 undernourished children are at risk of not receiving treatment due to the strangled aid deliveries, according to Crickx.
Reports of the number of trucks with aid that reach Gaza vary greatly depending on the sender. According to the UN, aid organizations' deliveries have sharply decreased in recent weeks, while Israel claims that over 1,000 trucks have brought aid to the region in the past week.
The difference is that Israel counts all trucks that pass through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, including those that are not fully loaded, while the UN only counts those that are fully loaded and reach their destination, writes The Guardian.
Among other human rights organizations, Human Rights Watch has repeatedly accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war. The fighting has also forced most of the hospitals in Gaza to close. Last week, a field hospital in Rafah where undernourished children were being treated was forced to close, according to Save the Children.
In a joint statement, Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, and Save the Children warn of an impending increase in deaths due to starvation, disease, and denied medical care.
