By Mohamed Majed and Rania Abu Shamala
GAZA CITY, Palestine/ISTANBUL (AA) - Five more Palestinians, including two children, died of starvation and malnutrition in the Israel-blockaded Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.
“Five people died of famine and malnutrition over the past 24 hours,” the ministry said in a brief statement on Telegram.
The new fatalities brought the number of Gazans who lost their lives due to famine triggered by Israel’s months-long blockade since October 2023 to 127, including 85 children.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 59,700 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.