Clinic strike kills 14 in Deir al-Balah as UN warns Gaza faces starvation, children die seeking food

In a searing moment of grief, Hatem Al-Nouri clutched a photo of his sons Amir and Omar—ages four and eight—killed by an Israeli airstrike as they waited outside a Gaza clinic for food supplements they called “sweets.” Their youngest brother, two-year-old Siraj, survived, but lost an eye.

The boys had run to the clinic in Deir al-Balah early Thursday to collect emergency nutrition aid when the blast struck. It killed 14 people, including nine children, according to local health officials. Though initial reports claimed 10 children were among the dead, one death was later attributed to a separate incident.

The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas militant, alleging his involvement in the October 2023 attack that sparked the ongoing war. CCTV footage reportedly showed two young men walking near the clinic moments before the explosion. But for families waiting in line for food, the impact was devastating.

“They were dreaming of having a loaf of bread,” Al-Nouri said, weeping. “What did these children do to deserve this?”

Siraj’s injuries were so severe that his father barely recognised him, his face bloodied and his eye torn out. Al-Nouri recounted how he rushed to the hospital only to watch Omar die soon after arrival.

Gaza’s hunger crisis is deepening, with children dying not just from bombs but from famine. The World Food Programme’s deputy director, Carl Skau, said this week that “starvation is spreading” and called the conditions in Gaza the worst he has ever seen. During a visit last week, Skau saw no functioning markets—only potatoes sold on street corners. Flour now costs over $25 per kilo.

Doctors Without Borders reported a “sharp and unprecedented rise” in malnutrition, treating hundreds of children and mothers in two overwhelmed clinics. In one neonatal unit, four to five newborns shared a single incubator. “Mothers are begging for food,” said Dr. Joanne Perry. “Pregnant women six months along weigh just 40kg.”

The Israeli military claims it is allowing sufficient aid into Gaza and blames U.N. agencies and aid groups for slow distribution. But international groups argue Israeli military restrictions, ongoing airstrikes, and a breakdown in law and order have paralysed aid delivery and triggered widespread looting.

Even reaching food has become a deadly gamble. Palestinians who attempt to reach aid distribution points—often in militarised zones—face lethal force. Hundreds have died this way, health officials and eyewitnesses say, with no independent media access to verify scenes firsthand.

In the occupied West Bank, violence escalated further on Friday. Israeli settlers killed two Palestinian men, Seifeddin Musalat and Mohammed al-Shalabi, both 23, in Sinjil near Ramallah. The Palestinian Health Ministry said Musalat was beaten to death and al-Shalabi shot in the chest. Israel’s military claimed the violence followed Palestinian rock-throwing that injured two Israelis.

The humanitarian toll of the conflict continues to spiral. Since the war began on 7 October 2023, Israel’s offensive has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, many of them children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

With malnutrition rampant, aid choked, and families mourning children lost not to combat, but to hunger and desperation, Gaza’s nightmare grinds on.