Over 60 Palestinian children died of starvation in Gaza due to Israeli blockade

Gaza’s Government Media Office announced on 28 June that at least 66 children have died from starvation since Israel’s siege of Gaza began, blaming the deaths on Tel Aviv’s blockade, crossing closures

JUN 28, 2025 News Desk

Over 60 Palestinian children died of starvation in Gaza due to Israeli blockade

Gaza’s Government Media Office announced on 28 June that at least 66 children have died from starvation since Israel’s siege of Gaza began, blaming the deaths on Tel Aviv’s blockade, crossing closures, and the ban on baby formula.

The statement urged immediate intervention from international, Arab, and Islamic institutions to open the crossings and allow food and medicine into Gaza “before it is too late.”

The death toll comes as Israeli forces escalate airstrikes and continue to target starving civilians waiting at so-called aid zones.

At least 25 people were killed across Gaza in overnight attacks between 27 and 28 June, including civilians in Khan Yunis, central Gaza, Rafah, and north of Gaza City, according to Al Mayadeen correspondents.

The World Health Organization has warned that 112 children are being hospitalized every day due to severe malnutrition. UN officials say the entire population of Gaza remains at risk of famine, as Tel Aviv continues to block the majority of aid and weaponizes what little is allowed in.

According to the UN, the US-sponsored Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has caused about 600 deaths and nearly 4,000 injuries among Palestinians attempting to receive food while operating under Israeli military supervision. UN officials have condemned it as “a death trap.”

Testimonies from Israeli soldiers published by Haaretz have confirmed that GHF aid sites function as militarized killing zones, where occupation forces are ordered to shoot unarmed Palestinians attempting to access food.

The testimonies, along with documented attacks on civilians and mass casualties at GHF sites, have strengthened UN accusations that the US-backed aid scheme is designed to use hunger as a weapon and enforce control, not provide relief.

“Desperate, hungry people in Gaza continue to face the inhumane choice of either starving to death or risk being killed while trying to get food,” UN spokesperson Thameen al-Kheetan said in Geneva on 24 June.

UNRWA’s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has also denounced the GHF, calling it “an abomination that humiliates and degrades desperate people.”

Despite these warnings, the Israeli army keeps expanding its campaign across the strip and maintains full control over all aid distribution routes.

Palestinian health officials warn the siege has rendered Gaza the “hungriest place on Earth,” with at least 500 trucks of aid needed daily, far more than the trickle allowed in.

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