Child Starves to Death in Khan Yunis as Famine Toll in Gaza Rises to 159
As the humanitarian crisis intensifies, the Nasser Medical Complex confirmed the death of a child in Khan Yunis due to starvation.
At least 15 Palestinians, including six individuals seeking humanitarian aid, have been killed by Israeli fire across the Gaza Strip since dawn Friday, according to medical sources. The deaths coincided with the visit of US envoy Steve Witkoff to an aid center near Rafah, in southern Gaza.
The Israeli military continues its targeting of Palestinians waiting for food aid in central Gaza. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital reported that four people were killed and others injured in an Israeli drone strike on Deir al-Balah early Friday.
In Khan Yunis, the Nasser Medical Complex confirmed that two civilians were killed and over 70 others injured by Israeli fire near the Morag axis while waiting for food. The same hospital reported that the death toll from the Israeli shelling of displaced persons’ tents in Al-Mawasi had climbed to seven.
Separately, Al-Awda Hospital reported the death of Karam Al-Jamal, a 27-year-old man who succumbed to famine and malnutrition.
A Palestinian mother bids farewell to her son, killed in the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza. pic.twitter.com/HFC8wHpf2F
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) August 1, 2025
Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza cited medical sources saying that multiple Palestinians were wounded in an Israeli strike on the Jawazat area, which shelters displaced families in western Gaza City.
The situation follows a bloody Thursday in which hospital sources said 51 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, including 23 people seeking humanitarian aid. Al-Shifa Hospital also reported that two Palestinians were injured by Israeli gunfire near the Zikim area in northern Gaza, with several of the wounded in critical condition.
Famine Deepens
As the humanitarian crisis intensifies, the Nasser Medical Complex confirmed the death of a child in Khan Yunis due to starvation. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported four additional deaths from malnutrition, raising the total number of famine-related deaths in the past two days to 12.
The death of Karam Al-Jamal was also noted by Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, bringing further attention to the scale of the crisis. According to the Health Ministry, 159 people — including 90 children — have now died from starvation and malnutrition since the beginning of the siege.
The World Health Organization warned that the worst-case scenario of famine is now unfolding in Gaza, where many residents have gone days without food. The UN agency urged Israel to allow safe, rapid, and unhindered humanitarian access for aid organizations.
The UN World Food Programme added that halting the hunger crisis would require at least 100 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily. UNICEF, meanwhile, warned that “every hour brings the deaths of more children” in the territory.
International and UN appeals to lift the blockade and end the war have grown louder in response to the increasing number of Palestinians dying at so-called “aid distribution points.” These sites — described as “death traps” by critics — are reportedly run by the US- and Israeli-backed “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.”
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza — with the backing of the United States — has killed and wounded over 207,000 Palestinians. The vast majority of victims are women and children. More than 14,000 remain missing, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced.
(PC, AJA)