25.07.2025 16:00
A photo of a baby struggling for life due to malnutrition in Gaza, cradled in the arms of his mother, has shaken the world. Thirteen-month-old Muhammad Zakariya Ayub al-Matuk weighs half of what a healthy child should. The civilian population in Gaza is facing a major humanitarian crisis after nearly 21 months of conflict.
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The photo of a baby struggling for life due to malnutrition, taken in the arms of his mother in Gaza, deeply shook the world. The journalist who took the photo, Ahmed el-Arini, described the horrifying scene and the tragedy he witnessed to the BBC.
After taking pictures of 13-month-old Muhammed Zekeriya Ayub el-Matuk with his mother in their tent, el-Arini said:
"I took this photo because I wanted the world to see the hunger that children and babies are experiencing in the Gaza Strip."
In the tent where Muhammed lived, there was only a small oven. There was no formula, no vitamins, and no medicine. Muhammed's weight had dropped from 9 kilograms to 6 kilograms, nearly half of what a healthy child should weigh. Instead of a diaper, he had a makeshift covering made from a trash bag. The photographer described this situation by saying, "There is no help; babies are wrapped in trash bags."
The journalist said that the mother struggled to hold her child, and the tent felt like a "grave." Muhammed and his mother had to flee from northern Gaza.
The civilian population in Gaza is facing a major humanitarian crisis after nearly 21 months of ongoing conflicts. Deaths due to hunger and malnutrition are increasing. The United Nations (UN) and more than 100 international aid organizations reported that thousands of Palestinians are on the brink of starvation.
According to the UN, a quarter of Gaza's population of 2.1 million lives in conditions resembling famine. The blockade imposed between March and May reduced the amount of food and aid reaching the region to nearly zero.
Aid Points Turned into Death Traps
While Israel blames Hamas for the failure of aid to reach those in need, the UN argues that Israel has not created the necessary environment for the safe distribution of aid.
The special aid distribution conducted through the US-backed "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)" is also controversial. The UN reported that these distribution centers have turned into "sadistic death traps," with over 1,000 civilians trying to receive aid being killed. Israel claims that only warning shots were fired and that civilians were not targeted.
On the other hand, an analysis conducted by the US revealed no evidence that Hamas systematically stole US aid. This raises questions about the justifications for Israel and the US's aid policies.
UNICEF warned that the aid system could collapse by August and that vital food supplies could run out. It was noted that there is currently only enough "therapeutic special food" to treat 3,000 children.
Between April and mid-July, 20,504 children were admitted to hospitals for acute malnutrition. Of these, 3,247 were at life-threatening levels of severe malnutrition. This figure is nearly three times that of the first three months of the year.
A humanitarian worker summarized the situation as follows:
"Children tell their families, 'I want to go to heaven because there is food there.'
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated, "The sight of children dying while trying to reach aid deeply shakes the conscience of the world. I reiterate my call for an immediate ceasefire."
French President Emmanuel Macron announced in September that they would recognize the state of Palestine and that this step would contribute to peace. This statement received strong reactions from Israel and the US.
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