Newborn babies in Gaza face grim survival prospects, according to the director of a local hospital.
At the Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, premature and days-old infants struggle to survive in the malnutrition ward.
Malnourished mothers are unable to breastfeed, leading to newborns starving to death due to lack of essential nutrition.
“Within two weeks, we detected over 250 cases of malnutrition,” said Dr. Hassam Abu Safah, the hospital’s director. “This was just in our hospital, indicating the numbers will likely rise. We urge the world to allow food and clean water into Gaza.”
A baby who did not survive lies in a hospital incubator, awaiting burial. Born two months premature, she died before her parents could name her. Her small body is wrapped in a green shroud.
Another infant fights for each breath, her exposed ribs heaving with the effort to stay alive. Their nappies are too large for their frail bodies.
The Rafah border crossing with Egypt remains closed, as the Israel Defence Forces occupy and operate in the surrounding area.
US military aid operations have paused due to rough seas, delaying the delivery of aid to Gazans in need.
Israel released images of aid stacked at the Kerem Shalom crossing, blaming the UN for not collecting it. The UN cited a breakdown in law and order in Gaza and warned Israel it might suspend operations.
Israel recently connected a new power cable to a UNICEF-run desalination plant in Gaza, providing water to Khan Yunis. This move aims to prevent disease outbreaks during the summer but offers only minimal relief. Much of Gaza remains a landscape of rubble and ruined buildings.
Most residents have relocated to humanitarian zones, living in tents or temporary shelters. Fuel shortages mean donkey carts are the main mode of transport, with many people walking.
Across Gaza, children line up with pans and buckets for daily food handouts. Meals, often plain rice or soup, are rationed carefully. Some children push to the front, desperate not to miss out, scraping the bottom of pots for every last bit.
Temperatures regularly reach the mid to high-30s, adding to the hardship for hundreds of thousands living under canvas with little shade.
War shows no respect for age, with the most vulnerable—both old and young—suffering the most.
