A Gazan mother feeds her twins lentils instead of milk as blockade continues

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Over 120 days have passed since Israel’s total closure of Gaza’s crossings, choking off food, fuel, and vital humanitarian aid.

Driving the news: Zaarab’s newborn twins, Tawfiq and Naya, were born after five years of waiting. But instead of joy, their arrival was met with war, famine, and a health system in collapse. Unable to breastfeed due to severe malnutrition during pregnancy, Joud now tries to keep her babies alive with whatever she can find: boiled lentils.

Israel’s blockade has prevented the entry of infant formula and most humanitarian aid.
Aid agencies say Gaza is experiencing “total nutritional collapse”, with the blockade worsening food insecurity and infant mortality.

By the numbers: At least 66 children have died from malnutrition-related causes in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials. That figure is expected to rise as starvation spreads.

Zoom out: More than 85% of Gaza’s population is now displaced. Health workers warn that mothers are unable to produce milk due to extreme hunger and dehydration. UN agencies have repeatedly called for unrestricted humanitarian access.

“We are witnessing the intentional starvation of civilians,” one UN official said.
Fuel shortages have crippled hospitals, and food prices have soared — when food is available at all.

Yes, but: Despite mounting international pressure, border crossings into Gaza remain tightly sealed, and aid deliveries sporadic. Israeli officials say security concerns drive the blockade, but humanitarian groups argue the policy amounts to collective punishment.

The human toll: Zaarab’s story reflects a broader agony across Gaza, where mothers are grieving, not just for lost children — but for the future itself.

“My children drink from disappointment,” she said, holding her fragile twins. “There is no milk. Only silence. Only hunger.”

The bottom line: In Gaza, infants are dying not from disease or bombs — but from preventable hunger. And every day of delay carries the weight of another tiny life lost.