Starvation claims 2 more lives in Israel-blockaded Gaza

By Ikram Kouachi

ANKARA (AA) – Two more Palestinians died of starvation and malnutrition caused by a choking Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.

A ministry statement said the new fatalities brought the famine-linked death toll since October 2023 to 422, including 145 children.

Last month, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed that famine had taken hold in northern Gaza and warned it could spread as Israel’s blockade continues.

Israel has killed more than 64,800 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023 and devastated the enclave.

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.