2 babies die of malnutrition in northern Gaza amid Israeli siege

Two babies died of malnutrition in the northern Gaza Strip amid an Israeli blockade, the Health Ministry in the enclave said Tuesday.

The infants lost their lives at Kamal Adwan Hospital in the city of Beit Lahia, the ministry added in a statement.

"Dehydration and malnutrition threaten the lives of thousands of children and pregnant women in the Gaza Strip," the ministry warned.

It appealed to international institutions to conduct a thorough medical assessment in shelter centers to identify and treat people affected by drought and malnutrition "to avert a humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza.

"UN agencies have ethical and functional responsibilities to protect children and women, and to provide all means of survival from the famine striking the Gaza Strip,'' the statement said.

Last week, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that a rise in malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women in Gaza poses grave threats to their health.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 29,878 Palestinians have since been killed and over 70,000 others injured, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling this January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.