"Gaza doctors warn: Starving babies in dire need of formula to survive"

Medical Staff in Gaza Report Infants at Risk Amid Severe Milk Shortage

Healthcare workers in Gaza have raised concerns that hundreds of infants may lose their lives due to a severe lack of baby milk, as aid deliveries into the region remain heavily restricted.

Dr. Ahmad al-Farra, head of pediatrics at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, stated that his department only has around a week’s supply of infant formula left. With specialized milk for premature babies completely exhausted, he has been forced to ration standard formula among the newborns in his care.

“The situation is beyond words. We have barely enough milk to last another week, and outside the hospital, many infants have no access to any milk at all. It’s disastrous,” al-Farra told *CuriosityNews* via phone.

Supplies of baby formula have sharply declined as nearly all aid to Gaza remains obstructed. Medical professionals report that food assistance delivered through the privately run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by the US and Israel, does not include infant formula.

Hanaa al-Taweel, a 27-year-old mother of five residing in al-Nuseirat refugee camp, explained that she cannot breastfeed due to her own malnutrition. She has struggled to secure formula for her 13-month-old child.

“This crisis began when my son was born—my poor health prevented me from breastfeeding,” she said. Doctors have warned her that her child suffers from stunted growth due to malnutrition, and she has observed that he is developing more slowly than her other children, who had already begun walking and speaking by his age.

“I keep a small piece of bread nearby when he sleeps because he wakes up hungry often. I live in constant fear that my children will die from hunger, thirst, or illness,” al-Taweel said.

According to local health officials, 66 Palestinian children have died from starvation since the conflict in Gaza escalated in October 2023.

Human rights organizations have accused Israel of employing starvation as a war tactic against Gaza’s civilian population, describing it as part of a broader strategy with devastating consequences.

Cogat, the Israeli agency overseeing aid coordination in Gaza, claims it does not limit baby food supplies entering the territory and states that over 1,400 tons of infant nutrition have been delivered in recent weeks.

Despite these claims, doctors traveling to Gaza have had to carry individual cans of formula in their personal bags. In one instance, Israeli authorities seized 10 cans of specially formulated milk for premature infants from the luggage of an American doctor arriving for a medical assignment.

“They took every can of formula—milk meant for vulnerable newborns. How could this possibly threaten Israel’s security?” said Dr. Diana Nazzal, a Palestinian-German physician.