Three-month-old Yahya al-Najjar died in a Gaza hospital after spending four days without baby formula, surviving only on anise tea, in a case that reflects the deepening famine threatening thousands of children in the besieged enclave.
Yahya’s parents said they searched for formula and nutritional supplements but found none, forcing them to feed him only anise — herbal tea commonly used in the region — in a desperate attempt to keep him alive.
His emaciated body soon showed signs of severe malnutrition, including bloating and visible ribs, prompting his admission to intensive care, where he died of hunger late on Saturday, witnesses said.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said on Sunday that Israel’s blockade, which has restricted the entry of humanitarian aid since October 2023, has led to the deaths of 86 Palestinians — 76 of them children — due to hunger and malnutrition.
The ministry said 18 people died of starvation in just 24 hours, calling the situation a “silent massacre” unfolding under a prolonged siege.
Anise instead of formula
Yahya’s mother said on Sunday that her baby spent his final four days drinking only water and anise tea because formula was unavailable.
“He kept sucking on his hand all the time,” she said through tears, describing his visible hunger.
She said doctors diagnosed him with malnutrition after she brought him to the hospital with symptoms including diarrhea and a swollen stomach. His blood sugar levels dropped soon after, and his condition rapidly declined.
Doctors told the family that Yahya urgently needed formula to survive. But with all crossings closed to humanitarian and commercial goods since March 2, formula has vanished from Gaza’s shelves.
The mother added that Yahya had previously been hospitalised and treated with formula provided by the hospital, leading to a brief recovery. After that supply ran out, his condition again deteriorated.
‘Died of malnutrition’
Yahya’s uncle, Anan al-Najjar, also said the infant had survived on nothing but water and anise tea since birth due to the ongoing shortage of formula.
“For three months, there’s been no baby formula in Gaza,” he said on Sunday. “What did this child do to deserve dying just because formula couldn’t reach him?”
He said Yahya suffered from no medical condition other than malnutrition. His mother, also malnourished, was unable to breastfeed, and no alternatives were available.
He appealed to the international community to act urgently and deliver baby formula to Gaza to prevent more deaths.
Wrapped in a white burial shroud, Yahya was carried by his father, Fadi al-Najjar, to his grave — his tiny body lacking the new clothes often associated with newborns. Grief-stricken, his father was unable to speak and wept silently as he laid his child to rest.
Rights group: starvation policy ongoing
The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said on Monday that Yahya was the 75th child in Gaza to die of hunger or lack of access to infant formula.
A video released by the group showed the infant’s frail body with a swollen belly and protruding bones, saying his death underscored the impact of Israel’s “deliberate starvation policy” against Gaza’s 2.4 million residents.
The group also reported that another infant, only 35 days old, died shortly before Yahya due to the same conditions.
These will not be the last children to die unless this starvation policy ends, it warned.
‘Collapsing from hunger’
The group added that famine is affecting all age groups in Gaza, with “hundreds of children, women and elderly people collapsing from severe hunger”.
“It’s only a matter of time before we witness mass death due to starvation,” it warned.
Over the past week, Palestinian activists have documented people fainting in the streets from hunger. Correspondents reporting from Gaza have also confirmed witnessing multiple such cases — and experiencing the effects of hunger himself.
Since March 2, Israel has sealed all crossings into Gaza, halting the entry of food, medicine and humanitarian aid.
According to the Government Media Office in Gaza, some 650,000 children are at risk of dying from hunger and malnutrition, and around 60,000 pregnant women face serious risks due to the lack of food and basic health care.
Israel has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, collapsed the health system and led to severe food shortages.
