Experts warn of widespread famine in the territory. Aid organizations say they are struggling to deliver aid to Gaza due to Israeli restrictions.

Relatives carried the white-shrouded body of 4-year-old Razan Abu Zaher, who died of hunger and malnutrition on 20/7, in central Gaza.

Razan is one of at least 4 Gaza children who have starved to death in the past three days. Gaza health officials said 18 people in the territory died on 20/7 due to hunger, as the food crisis in the region deepens.

Health officials in Gaza have recorded at least 76 children and 10 adults dying from malnutrition since the conflict began in 10/2023. The World Health Organization says the majority of hunger-related deaths in Gaza have occurred since Israel imposed a blockade on aid entering the territory in early March.

Palestinians carried pots and pans to receive porridge at a community kitchen on 14/7 in Gaza City, northern Gaza.

The Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza has displaced most civilians, leaving them facing a severe humanitarian crisis due to shortages of food and medicine.

The scarcity of aid has also fueled gang violence and armed robbery. "Due to the Israeli blockade, food and aid have become the most valuable commodities in Gaza," an aid worker said, noting that a 25 kg bag of flour can be sold for up to 500 USD.

"Gaza now resembles a post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie," another aid worker described. "Gangs are fighting, Israeli planes are bombing, soldiers are shooting, while Hamas is still operating. All of this is happening amidst ruined neighborhoods where people light fires to cook, live in makeshift tents, and suffer extreme hunger and thirst."

Gaza residents bring anything that can hold porridge to aid distribution points, jostling to bring food back to their families.

Anas Baba, a producer for NPR based in Gaza, said he has lost a third of his body weight after nearly 21 months of living amid conflict and famine.

He said the people around him are now very weak and pale, having to hold onto walls and fences as they walk down the street.

A child sits waiting at a food distribution point.

"The danger doesn’t seem to deter people from going to the aid points. When you are hungry for too long, your mind can’t think clearly to make the right decisions. You’re not afraid of anything. You would do anything for food," Baba said.

Desperate Palestinians hold out pots, pans, and containers of all sizes to receive food aid in Gaza City, many of them children.

A report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) global initiative in June stated that the entire population of Gaza is facing severe food shortages, with over one million people at risk of starvation.

Negotiations between Hamas and Israel are taking place in Doha. Qatar, the mediating country, said it may take time for the parties to reach a ceasefire agreement due to significant obstacles.

Israel wants to maintain military operations in Gaza after a ceasefire, while Hamas demands a full IDF withdrawal and asserts that Tel Aviv's failure to allow free flow of aid into the territory is a major obstacle in the negotiations.

Duc Trung (According to AP, AFP, Reuters)