289 Palestinians, including 115 children, die of starvation: Gaza health ministry
A Palestinian man rides a bike as smoke rises following an Israeli attack on Gaza City, August 24, 2025. Photo-Reuters
Health Ministry in Gaza said on Sunday that 289 Palestinians, including 115 children, have died of starvation amid the ongoing famine crisis in the enclave.
Munir al-Bursh, director of the ministry, told Al Jazeera that the situation required a massive humanitarian response, warning that authorities were “in a race against time to address famine.”
He said eight Palestinians, including a child, had died from food shortages in the past 24 hours.
Moreover, at least 16 Palestinians have been killed across the enclave medical sources reported. The victims included at least seven aid seekers who were killed while waiting for food near distribution points. In the latest 24-hour reporting period, the bodies of 64 people and 278 injured Palestinians have been brought to hospitals across the besieged enclave, hospital officials said.
Hospital sources said at least five of the victims were shot while waiting for food near distribution points run by the US-backed GHF.
Since the start of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) operations, over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed and thousands wounded while seeking aid, according to figures cited by the UN. Of these, 766 people died near GHF aid points, while another 288 were killed near UN or other convoys. At least 516 deaths and nearly 3,800 injuries were documented within the first month alone.
Despite this, the US announced $30 million in funding for GHF, even as rights groups accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon. The death toll from aid queues continues to rise, underscoring how the blockade and GHF’s controversial role have combined to make humanitarian relief both scarce and deadly.
Read: International community reacts to Gaza famine confirmation
Meanwhile, the head of the children’s department at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis warned the health crisis in southern Gaza had reached “a catastrophic level,” saying the facility could no longer cope with the surge in malnourished children, Al Jazeera reports.
“One in four children in Gaza is already suffering from malnutrition, and between 60,000 and 75,000 children in southern Gaza alone are at risk,” Dr Ahmed al-Farra said, describing the figures as “horrifying and unprecedented.”
According to him, 25 children are currently hospitalised in critical condition, with some lying on the floor due to a lack of beds. He added that some children arrive at the hospital after losing their lives outside its gates “due to lack of milk and treatment.”
He added that the malnutrition clinic at Nasser, which operates only two days a week, receives more than 120 cases within hours — ten times higher than before.
Gaza City officially in famine
The United Nations on Friday declared famine in Gaza City, the first such announcement in the Middle East and only the fifth-ever official declaration worldwide. The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed famine conditions in Gaza City and surrounding areas, warning that over 500,000 people face catastrophic hunger.
“It is a famine: the Gaza famine,” said UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher, blaming Israel for the crisis and accusing it of “systematic obstruction” of aid deliveries.
Famine isn’t just a word – it’s a technical term. And it’s never declared by one organization alone.
A famine confirmation is the result of a joint, data-driven analysis using agreed global standards set by the IPC. #Gaza is only the fifth famine ever confirmed by this scale.… pic.twitter.com/4KM6NjMGCIThe IPC warned that famine is expected to spread to Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis by next month.
IPC said around 514,000 people — nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population — are already facing famine. The number is projected to rise to 641,000 by the end of September, it added.
Read more: Gaza City officially in famine, says global hunger monitor
Famine Classification
The IPC - an initiative involving 21 aid groups, UN agencies and regional organizations funded by the European Union, Germany, Britain and Canada - has only registered famines four times previously - in Somalia in 2011, South Sudan in 2017 and 2020 and in Sudan in 2024.
For a region to be classified as in famine at least 20% of people must be suffering extreme food shortages, with one in three children acutely malnourished and two people out of every 10,000 dying daily from starvation or malnutrition and disease.
New strikes
Israeli planes and tanks pounded the eastern and northern outskirts of Gaza City overnight Saturday to Sunday, destroying buildings and homes, residents said, as Israeli leaders vowed to press on with a planned offensive on the city.
Witnesses reported the sound of explosions non-stop overnight in the areas of Zeitoun and Shejaia, while tanks shelled houses and roads in the nearby Sabra neighbourhood and several buildings were blown up in the northern town of Jabalia.
Israel's war on Gaza
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks across Gaza have killed at least 62,686 people and wounded 157,951, the Palestinian Health Ministry in the enclave says.
The latest deaths raise the total number of aid seekers who have been killed by Israeli fire since the establishment of the US- and Israel-backed GHF at the end of May to 2,095, with more than 15,431 wounded.
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. The proposed deal includes a pause in hostilities, increased humanitarian aid, and negotiations on the release of captives.