'They're just skin and bones': Gaza doctors warn about 'horrifying' ordeal of children as hundreds of babies' lives at risk

As the situation in Gaza worsens, the doctors there have warned that hundreds of babies are at risk of death amid a shortage of baby milk. This comes as Israel continues to restrict the humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip. The doctors are now running out of the specialised formula meant for premature babies and are forced to use the regular formula.

The Head of Paediatrics at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said that his ward had only about a week's worth of infant formula remaining.

“I can’t begin to describe how bad things are. Right now, we have enough formula for about one week. But we also have infants outside the hospital without any access to milk. It’s catastrophic,” the doctor told the Guardian.

According to the doctors, the food aid that comes through the controversial US-Israeli-backed private company Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), does not include infant formula.

The doctor warned that the situation here is "horrifying". "You should see the children arriving. They’re just skin and bones. It’s horrifying. The real solution is to end the war, open the crossings, and allow baby formula in.”

Hanaa al-Taweel, a 27-year-old mother of five children at al-Nuseirat refugee camp, said she was unable to breastfeed as she herself was not getting enough food, while adding that she struggled to find infant formula for her 13-month-old child.

“The problem of getting milk started since my son’s birth, as due to my malnutrition and general weakness I wasn’t able to breastfeed my baby,” al-Taweel said.

Doctors said that her son is suffering from stunting due to malnutrition. She said that she feels sadness and fear for her children, adding, "I try to keep a small piece of bread next to me when he sleeps because he wakes up often asking for food."

"I fear they will die from hunger, thirst, and disease," she added.

Amnesty International has accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war against civilians in Gaza, saying that it was a tactic intended "to inflict genocide against Palestinians”.