Israel’s blockade on Gaza starving 290,000 children to death

More than 3,500 children below the age of five in Gaza face “imminent death by starvation”, and about 290,000 others are “on the brink of death” as Israel continues to prevent the entry of baby formula, nutritional supplements, and all forms of humanitarian aid, Al Jazeera reports citing Gaza’s Government Media Office.

Mahmoud Alsaqqa, Oxfam’s food security lead in the Gaza Strip, tells Al Jazeera that “the whole world, unfortunately, is contributing to or participating in starving the children in Gaza” by not taking any action against the blockade that started more than two months ago.

A missile launched from Yemen towards Israel has hit the perimeter of Ben Gurion airport; footage shared on social media shows a plume of smoke visible from a passenger terminal.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 52,495 Palestinians and wounded 118,366, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The Government Media Office updated the death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead.

An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.