GAZA, May 25, 2025 (WAFA) – A four-year-old child died on Saturday in Gaza City due to severe malnutrition caused by the ongoing Israeli blockade, bringing the death toll from hunger-related causes in the besieged Gaza Strip to 58, according to medical sources.
Doctors at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital confirmed the death of Mohammad Mustafa Yassin, age 4, attributing it to prolonged malnutrition amid the ongoing Israeli blockade and the deliberate Israeli policy of starvation imposed during the continued military assault on the territory.
Medical reports indicate that, in addition to the 58 confirmed malnutrition-related deaths, another 242 people—mostly elderly and children—have died over the past 80 days due to lack of access to food and medicine.
The Israeli siege, which began tightening on March 2, has pushed Gaza’s 2.4 million population into what humanitarian organizations now describe as a state of famine. Aid convoys remain stranded at closed border crossings, unable to enter, while Israeli military attacks have expanded across the north and south of the Strip.
On Friday, a joint statement from 80 countries addressed to the United Nations warned that Gaza is facing “the worst humanitarian crisis” since the war began on October 7, 2023, with civilians at imminent risk of famine.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini echoed this warning, describing the current humanitarian response as “a needle in a haystack.” He stressed that the minimum aid required to meet Gaza's needs is between 500 to 600 UN-managed trucks per day, including those coordinated by UNRWA.
Lazzarini also reiterated his rejection of the Israeli-proposed aid distribution plan, which critics say is designed to depopulate northern Gaza by redirecting people toward Rafah in the south, where aid is concentrated.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated on Friday that the United Nations would not participate in any aid mechanism that fails to comply with international law and humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality, and independence.
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