Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza: Starvation and Struggles
Children in Gaza who have survived bombardment may “not survive famine,” warned Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, in a social media post Wednesday.
As Israel’s severe restrictions on aid entering Gaza drain essential supplies, displaced Palestinians told CNN they are struggling to feed their children. Jamie McGoldrick, a UN humanitarian coordinator who just returned from a two-day trip to Gaza, warned Thursday that hunger there has reached “catastrophic levels.”
At least 20 Palestinians have starved to death in Gaza, Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, said on Wednesday. The true number could be even higher, as limited access to northern Gaza has hindered the ability of aid agencies to fully assess the situation there. The youngest baby who died of starvation was one day old, according to Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan hospital.
Israel insists there is “no limit” on the amount of aid that can enter Gaza, but its inspection regime on aid trucks has meant that only a tiny fraction of the amount of food and other supplies that used to enter Gaza daily before the war is getting in now.
Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza after the militant group Hamas killed at least 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250 others in southern Israel on October 7.
In-Depth Coverage
Here are some of the stories that made headlines over the past week, as well as some photos that caught our eye.
Editor’s note: This gallery contains graphic images. Viewer discretion is advised.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley walks off stage after announcing that she would be suspending her presidential campaign on Wednesday, March 6. Haley made the announcement after a series of losses on Super Tuesday, and now former President Donald Trump is the presumptive GOP nominee. Ruth Fremson/The New York Times/ReduxPeople in Moscow attend a funeral service for Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny on Friday, March 1. Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most formidable opponent, died last month in an Arctic prison, sparking condemnation from world leaders and accusations from his aides that he had been murdered. The Kremlin has denied any involvement in his death. Navalny was 47.A tear falls down the cheek of Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce during a news conference announcing his retirement on Monday, March 4. Kelce, 36, is a seven-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro. He spent his entire 13-year career with the Eagles, winning a Super Bowl with them in 2018. Matt Rourke/APCattle graze on a small patch of green grass that is surrounded by scorched earth near Pampa, Texas, on Sunday, March 3. The state’s largest-ever wildfire incinerated over 1 million acres and left residents sifting through the destruction of their homes. Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesUS President Joe Biden delivers the annual State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Thursday, March 7. It was a high-stakes moment as he looked to convince voters to give him a second term in the White House. Shawn Thew/Pool/Getty ImagesA woman cries as she walks near her husband’s shop that was set on fire by armed gang members in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Thursday, March 7. Gangs control 80% of the Haitian capital, the UN estimates, and continue to fight for the rest. Haiti’s government declared a state of emergency on Sunday. Clarens Siffroy/AFP/Getty ImagesRania Abu Anza holds one of her 5-month-old twins who were killed when an Israeli strike hit their house in Rafah, Gaza, on Sunday, March 3. Abu Anza’s husband and at least 11 other relatives were killed when the house collapsed. “I screamed for my children and my husband,” she said, according to the Associated Press. “They were all dead. Their father took them and left me behind.” It took Abu Anza and her husband 10 years and three rounds of in vitro fertilization to become pregnant.A message reading “my body my choice” is projected onto the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Monday, March 4, after the French Parliament voted to enshrine abortion rights in the country’s constitution.Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark reacts Sunday, March 3, after she passed “Pistol” Pete Maravich to become the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I basketball — male or female. Jeffrey Becker/USA Today Sports/Reuters“Le principe d’Archimede,” a painting by Rene Magritte, is displayed at a Christie’s auction room in London on Friday, March 1. It was expected to be sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds. Kirsty Wigglesworth/APHannah Gutierrez Reed, the “Rust” film armorer, talks with attorney Jason Bowles, right, and her defense team during a trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Tuesday, March 5. She was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter on Wednesday, stemming from the on-set fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. In 2021, Hutchins was killed by a live round of ammunition fired from a prop gun that was held by actor Alec Baldwin. Gutierrez Reed was responsible for firearm safety and storage on the movie’s set.Cole Brauer celebrates Thursday, March 7, after she became the first American woman to sail solo around the world. The 29-year-old from Long Island marked the achievement as she sailed into Spain on Thursday morning. James Tomlinson/Cole Brauer Ocean RacingA police officer rests among shields in Jakarta, Indonesia, during a demonstration demanding the impeachment of Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Tuesday, March 5.The South Korean Air Force’s Black Eagles aerobatics team performs at an air show in Pampanga, Philippines, on Sunday, March 3.Former US President Donald Trump makes remarks from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, March 4, after the Supreme Court ruled that Trump could not be removed from the ballot in Colorado or any other state. The court’s decision followed months of debate over whether Trump violated the “insurrectionist clause” included in the 14th Amendment. Trump lauded the decision as an “important decision” that was “very well-crafted.”A boy holds a chick at the Paris International Agricultural Show on Friday, March 1.Families of Israeli hostages carry photos of their loved ones as they march to Jerusalem on Saturday, March 2. During the march, they repeated calls for the release of those kidnapped when Hamas militants stormed an Israeli music festival in October. Matan Golan/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty ImagesUS Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wears a Trump 2020 hat as she watches President Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday, March 7. Greene also wore a shirt that said “Say Her Name Laken Riley,” calling for stricter border measures and to honor Riley, who authorities believe was killed by an undocumented immigrant in Athens, Georgia.Traditional boats are bunched up in Iraq’s central Mesopotamian marshes on Saturday, March 2. The marshes have seen abundant rainfall lately after a long period of drought.Kansas’ K.J. Adams Jr. throws down a dunk during a college basketball game against Kansas State on Tuesday, March 5. Kansas won 90-68, avenging a loss to their rival earlier this season. Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesPeople in Gaza City watch as the US military carries out its first aid drop over Gaza on Saturday, March 2. The combined operation by the US Air Force and the Royal Jordanian Air Force saw US aircraft dropping 38,000 meals along the Gaza coastline, CENTCOM said in a statement. Kosay Al Nemer/ReutersFederal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell appears before the House Financial Services Committee in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, March 6. In his testimony, Powell continued to indicate that the fight against inflation is not over. He said that while he believes it will likely be appropriate to dial back interest rates sometime this year, the Fed still needs more confidence that inflation rates are moving towards the central bank’s longterm goal of 2% before they pivot towards rate cuts.In this photo, taken with a slow shutter speed, Dutch bobsledders compete in the IBSF World Championships on Saturday, March 2.Danai Deligiorgi and Alexia Beziki embrace after their wedding ceremony at the Athens Town Hall in Athens, Greece, on Thursday, March 7. They were one of the first couples to marry after the passing of legislation for same-sex marriages. Louiza Vradi/ReutersThe M/V Rubymar, a Belize-flagged cargo ship that was struck last month by ballistic missiles fired from Houthi territory in Yemen, sinks in the Red Sea on Sunday, March 3. The damage sustained by the Rubymar is potentially the most significant to a vessel caused by an attack launched by the Houthis, who have been targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden for months.Skiers begin the Vasaloppet, a 90-kilometer race in Sälen, Sweden, on Sunday, March 3.Patrons enter the Jax At The Tracks diner in Truckee, California, on Sunday, March 3. California’s mountain towns and ski resorts were slammed by a blockbuster blizzard. Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group/APBoston Bruins center Morgan Geekie is dumped into the Edmonton Oilers’ net during an NHL game in Boston on Tuesday, March 5.People ride on a subway in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, March 6. Roman Pilipey/AFP/Getty ImagesArizona wide receiver Jacob Cowing catches a ball during the NFL’s scouting combine in Indianapolis on Saturday, March 2.The northern lights are seen above British fighter jets parked on the HMS Prince of Wales, an aircraft carrier near the coast of Norway, on Sunday, March 3.
