Gaza officials report 4 more child malnutrition deaths

March 1, 2024 11:08 PM

Four more children have died of "malnutrition and dehydration" in war-torn Gaza, the Hamas-ruled territory's health ministry said on Friday, the latest such reported deaths as famine warnings mount.

The deaths occurred at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said in a statement, noting that the number of child "malnutrition and dehydration" deaths now totalled 10.

Earlier Friday, a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA told reporters that "if something doesn't change, a famine is almost inevitable" in Gaza.

"Once a famine is declared, it is too late for too many people," said the spokesman, Jens Laerke.

Global attention turned to the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza on Thursday, when the health ministry said more than 100 people were killed after desperate Palestinians rushed an aid convoy.

Israeli troops opened fire as Palestinian civilians scrambled for food supplies during a chaotic melee.

World leaders called on Friday for an investigation into the deaths and a ceasefire nearly five months into the war, which kicked off with Hamas's surprise attack on Israel on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel's retaliatory offensive to eliminate Hamas has now killed at least 30,228, mostly women and children, according to the ministry's latest toll.