Another Palestinian minor has starved to death due to Israel's siege on Gaza, making him the latest hunger-related fatality in the enclave due to months of an Israeli siege.
A Palestinian medical source told Anadolu Agency that Atef Abu Khater, 17, died at the Al-Helou International Hospital in Gaza City due to severe hunger and malnutrition.
The source said Abu Khater suffered a sudden deterioration in his health two weeks ago after significant weight loss due to hunger and that he had to be hospitalised, adding that he only weighed 25 kg.
The teenager did not suffer from any pre-existing medical conditions, the source said.
Gaza’s health ministry said Saturday that 169 people, including 93 children, have perished due to hunger-related deaths in the territory since the start of the Israeli offensive on 7 October 2023.
They include seven deaths including one child in the past 24 hours, the ministry added.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday that children in Gaza are dying at an "unprecedented" rate amid famine and deteriorating conditions resulting from the ongoing Israeli war.
Israel imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip in March, halting the entry of much-needed humanitarian relief into the enclave. Aid has only been distributed through the controversial US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has been slammed as a "death trap" as Israeli fire has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians at GHF sites.
After horrific scenes of starving children and international condemnation, Israel recently allowed the entry of some aid trucks.
Some Western countries have also partnered with Middle Eastern nations to air-drop humanitarian supplies into the coastal enclave, despite people being struck and dying in the past.
Despite the aid convoys and air drops, the UN and humanitarian groups have said this will not avert the hunger crisis.