‘We Have One Week Left’: Gaza Doctors Warn of Baby Formula Crisis
Critical shortage of infant formula puts hundreds of babies at risk of starvation in Gaza, doctors told The Guardian.
Doctors in southern Gaza are sounding the alarm over a looming catastrophe for the youngest and most vulnerable in the besieged territory, as a critical shortage of infant formula places hundreds of babies at immediate risk of death.
Dr. Ahmad al-Farra, head of pediatrics at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, told the British newspaper The Guardian that his ward has enough infant formula to last only one more week.
He has already run out of specialized formula for premature babies, forcing him to ration standard formula among infants in his care.
“I can’t begin to describe how bad things are,” al-Farra said in a phone interview. “We have infants outside the hospital without any access to milk. It’s catastrophic.”
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According to Palestinian health authorities, at least 66 children have died from starvation since the war began in October. Aid groups warn that this number will rise sharply unless restrictions on aid are lifted immediately.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war—a tactic they say is aimed at inflicting genocide.
While Israel denies restricting baby food shipments and claims over 1,400 tons of baby food have entered Gaza in recent weeks, medical workers and residents on the ground say infant formula is virtually unavailable.
“I try to keep a small piece of bread next to me when (my baby) sleeps because he wakes up asking for food,” Hanaa al-Taweel, a displaced mother of five in al-Nuseirat refugee camp, told The Guardian. “I fear they will die from hunger, thirst and disease.”
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A parallel market for baby formula has reportedly emerged, where a single can now sells for up to $50—ten times the normal price. Breastfeeding is not an option. “Mothers who are severely malnourished themselves or have been killed are unable to breastfeed, creating a higher need for formula,” the report highlighted.
According to the Guardian, doctors entering Gaza have begun packing cans of formula into their personal luggage. But even these limited supplies are being confiscated by Israeli border authorities. In one case, Israeli officials seized ten cans of preterm baby formula from a US doctor on a medical mission.
“What on earth is baby formula going to do against the security of the state of Israel?” asked Dr. Diana Nazzal, a Palestinian-German surgeon assisting the mission.
International humanitarian organizations have also condemned the role of the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private company managing parts of the aid distribution system.
GHF does not include baby formula in its deliveries, and its complex distribution procedures have been widely criticized.
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Unlike the previous UN-run aid network with more than 400 distribution points, GHF requires civilians to navigate an unpredictable set of rules to queue at just four locations.
Over the past month, Israeli forces have killed more than 500 people at these queues, according to official Palestinian data.
“This whole generation is being targeted,” warned Dr. al-Farra. “Even if nutrition becomes available later, the damage to their development is permanent.”
With almost half a million Gazans facing catastrophic hunger and less than 10% of the necessary aid trucks entering the Strip daily, the UN and other humanitarian agencies continue to urge Israel to open crossings and restore unrestricted aid deliveries.
“The real solution is to end the war,” said al-Farra. “Open the crossings and allow baby formula in.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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