1,200 elderly dead in Gaza from Israel’s starvation policy, thousands more at risk as blockade persists
Chief nurse Moataz Manasra provides care for an elderly person suffering from a critical condition due to starvation
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reports on 27 July 2025:
Approximately 1,200 elderly Palestinians have died in the past two months due to Israel’s starvation policy, malnutrition, and lack of medical care, all of which have intensified in recent days.
The actual death toll may be significantly higher, noting an unprecedented surge in daily fatalities over the past two weeks. Hundreds of elderly people have been arriving each day at hospitals and primary care centres in states of extreme exhaustion, seeking nutritional fluids.
The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip officially recorded 55 deaths from starvation and malnutrition within a single week, bringing the documented total to 122, including 83 children. The report noted that this figure excludes many deaths caused by the broader consequences of starvation and lack of medical care.
Euro-Med Monitor’s field team documented the deaths of dozens of elderly people in displacement camps due to starvation, malnutrition, or lack of treatment. Many of these deaths were recorded as natural causes, owing to the absence of a clear reporting mechanism within the ministry and the tendency of families to bury their loved ones immediately.
In reality, these deaths result from deliberate starvation policies and the systematic dismantling of the health system, forming a pattern of intentional killing prohibited under international humanitarian and criminal law.
These conditions involve crimes of deliberate starvation, the infliction of severe suffering, and the systematic denial of healthcare, all taking place under a comprehensive blockade within the context of an ongoing genocide that has persisted for nearly 22 months.
The rising death toll stems from a deliberate Israeli policy of using starvation and denial of medical care as weapons to kill civilians, enforced through a stifling blockade that has intensified since 7 October 2023 and entered a more severe phase on 2 March. This blockade targets the most vulnerable, turning the humanitarian catastrophe into a central instrument in the execution of genocide.
Euro-Med Monitor’s field team has documented harrowing testimonies from elderly individuals whose health deteriorated as a result of starvation and denial of medical care.
In a testimony to Euro-Med Monitor, Muhammad, the son of 77-year-old Tamam Deeb Shaaban, said: “Over the past period, as the starvation intensified, we had almost nothing left to eat. My mother was the most affected due to her age and chronic illnesses. Within days, she lost a significant amount of weight, became visibly weak and emaciated, and fainted several times.”
“As the blockade persisted and food and adequate healthcare remained unavailable, her condition worsened significantly. Two weeks ago, we transferred her to Wafaa Rehabilitation Hospital for medical care and IV fluids, but the damage to her body was severe. She suffered multiple complications, the last being a stroke, and passed away this morning, Saturday,” Muhammed added. “I am overwhelmed with profound grief and a deep sense of helplessness, knowing that my mother died from entirely preventable causes, had anyone in this world intervened to stop the crime of starvation.”