“Starving a Generation: Israel’s Famine Campaign Targeting Palestinian Children in Gaza” documents 33 cases of child starvation collected by DCIP’s field researchers in the Gaza Strip between October 7, 2023, and May 21, 2025.
Ramallah, June 24, 2025 – Defense for Children International – Palestine, in collaboration with Doctors Against Genocide, published a report today asserting Israeli authorities have deliberately weaponized starvation as a method of genocide, resulting in the preventable deaths and suffering of Palestinian children in Gaza that will carry negative impacts for generations to come.
“Starving a Generation: Israel’s Famine Campaign Targeting Palestinian Children in Gaza” documents 33 cases of child starvation collected by DCIP’s field researchers in the Gaza Strip between October 7, 2023, and May 21, 2025. In nine of these cases, the child died. These children, all of whom died of malnutrition, ranged between the ages of one week and 10 years old. Of the other 24 cases, documenting children still suffering from the effects of starvation, 14 are under one year of age, five are toddlers, and five are school age. Five of the children are suffering from chronic diseases. These cases represent only a small fraction of the true toll, as Israel’s continued bombardment, siege, and obstruction of aid have made comprehensive documentation impossible.
“The world has watched Palestinian children starve to death in real time since the early days of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and refused to take meaningful action to save their lives,” said Miranda Cleland, advocacy officer at DCIP and one of the report’s authors. “This report includes 33 cases of child starvation, each of which represents a child whose life will be forever altered. The starvation occurring today in Gaza will have a lasting, catastrophic impact on Palestinian children and families for generations.”
“It couldn’t be clearer: Israel intends to starve Palestinians as a way of removing and destroying them,” said Kathryn Ravey, advocacy officer at DCIP. “Israel is contradicting every rule in the book meant to prevent and punish genocide, and the international community is not only allowing this to occur, but is actively profiting from Israel’s genocide through both the sale of arms and through the continued facilitation of trade and diplomatic protection.”
Doctors Against Genocide contributed a comprehensive section on the devastating medical, developmental, and psychological consequences of starvation in children. They warn of long-term and often irreversible effects, including stunted growth, neurological damage, weakened immune systems, and permanent cognitive impairment.
“Look at the vacant eyes of the child,” said Dr. Ahmed Al-Faraa, head of pediatrics at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, where many of the children in the report received treatment, said in an interview with Doctors Against Genocide, speaking about two-year-old Amro, a severe acute malnutrition patient. “You can see a lot of questions. Where is my mother? Where is my father? What is the crime I did to be punished like that? Children like Amro cannot cry. Staff dealing with the child feel so sad and they are crying because of the sadness [they feel] for him.”
The report asserts that Israeli forces and officials have systematically and deliberately targeted food production and distribution systems, attacked humanitarian convoys and blocked aid from entry into Gaza. It also documents the deaths of children in areas such as north Gaza, which were entirely cut off from aid and supplies. Families report being unable to feed their children as mothers themselves were too malnourished to breastfeed and formula was unavailable.
The report’s key findings are as follows:
- Famine has been present in the Gaza Strip since at least early 2024, when the first Palestinian children died of starvation due to Israel’s closure of north Gaza.
- Starvation of children is a key mechanism in Israel’s campaign of genocide and has been from the beginning, targeting existing and future generations of Palestinian children and families.
- Refusal by the international community to declare famine, acknowledge Israeli officials’ genocidal intent, and break Israel’s siege has paved the way for the starvation of more children.
- Palestinian newborns, infants, and children with chronic illnesses are among the most vulnerable to the effects of malnutrition and dehydration.
- Starvation occurring in Gaza now will negatively impact Palestinian children and families for generations to come.
The report highlights the militarization of aid through the use of U.S.-based private security contractors, in which these forces now operate deadly “distribution hubs” in Gaza where hundreds of Palestinians have been shot or killed while attempting to access food. The presence of these armed contractors, far from ensuring safety, has compounded the risks faced by already starving civilians.
The report’s legal analysis concludes that Israel’s starvation policies constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide.