At least 86 Palestinians, including 76 children, have died from hunger and malnutrition due to Israel's deliberate blockade preventing aid from entering besieged Gaza since October 2023, the Health Ministry said.
"Famine has killed 86 people in Gaza, including 76 children, as a result of starvation and malnutrition," the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
It described the crisis as a "silent massacre" unfolding in the blockaded territory and held both Israel and the international community responsible for the worsening humanitarian conditions in the enclave.
The ministry noted that 18 people had starved to death in Gaza in the last 24 hours, calling for the immediate reopening of Gaza’s border crossings to allow the entry of food and medicine.
Israel has sealed all crossings with Gaza since March 2, effectively cutting off access to humanitarian aid and accelerating the spread of famine.
Israel's genocide in Gaza
Israel has killed nearly 59,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in its genocide in the blockaded enclave.
Some 11,000 Palestinians are feared buried under rubble of annihilated homes, according to Palestine's official WAFA news agency.
Experts, however, contend that the actual death toll significantly exceeds what the Gaza authorities have reported, estimating it could be around 200,000.
Over the course of the genocide, Israel has reduced most of the blockaded enclave to ruins, and practically displaced all of its population.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence 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.
