Babies face imminent death in Gaza as formula milk runs out, doctors warn

Some newborns may have less than 36 hours to live, says medical director

Malnutrition and disease are threatening Gaza's infant children, doctors and parents have warned. Photo: WHO

In the neonatal wards of Gaza’s battered hospitals, doctors and parents are sounding the alarm. With baby formula completely depleted and border crossings sealed since March, the lives of dozens of premature and infant children hang in the balance.

“In less than 36 hours, we may begin losing newborns,” warned Dr Ahmad Al Farra, director of the children and maternity building at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis.

“There are no supplies of specialised formula, despite our repeated urgent requests. The lives of dozens of infants and premature babies are in extreme danger if this crisis is not addressed immediately,” he told The National.

Inside neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), where fragile babies are connected to life-saving machines, the situation grows more desperate by the hour. “We may lose some of them at any moment,” Dr Al Farra added. “The international community must take responsibility for what Gaza’s infants are suffering.”

In an exclusive interview with The National this week, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) secretary general Christopher Lockyear appealed for all nations to use economic, political and diplomatic pressure to stop the “pattern of genocide and ethnic cleansing” in Gaza after the destruction of its health system.

Israel’s army has attacked hospitals and clinics, accusing Hamas of using them as military launchpads and intelligence centres, often with little or no evidence.

“We no longer talk of a health system in Gaza,” said Mr Lockyear. “The health system has been systematically targeted, destroyed."

Maryam Abu Daqqa, a two-year-old Palestinian girl suffering from malnutrition, receives treatment at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. EPA

Dr Jamil Ali, director of Al Rantisi Hospital in Gaza city – now the strip’s main paediatric facility – says the shelves are completely bare.

“We currently do not have a single can of baby formula in the hospital,” Dr Ali told The National. “Every day, more children arrive suffering from malnutrition, digestive disorders and illnesses directly linked to the lack of food and medicine.”

He emphasised that this is no longer just a crisis – it is a “humanitarian collapse”. His hospital, he said, has made multiple urgent appeals to international organisations in recent weeks.

“We have made it clear: Gaza’s children are now facing a real health disaster. We urgently call on the world to act – immediately.”

'Silent massacre'

Rehab Al Astal, 28, is a mother from Khan Younis. For her, the crisis is deeply personal. Her six-month-old son, Yamen, depends entirely on formula.

“I’ve searched everywhere – there’s nothing. It hasn’t come through the crossings for over four months,” she said.

“We’re living through famine. I can’t feed my son. I’ve taken him to the hospital twice. Doctors say he’s on the verge of malnutrition.”

Even basic substitutes like baby oatmeal have vanished from store shelves. Breastfeeding, often suggested in emergencies, is not an option for many. “I don’t even have enough food to eat myself. I can’t produce the milk he needs,” Ms Al Astal said.

“These are not luxuries. These are rights. These are babies –newborns – who have no part in this war. Their nutrition is the world’s responsibility.”

I dreamt of celebrating him. Instead, I’m watching him hungry

Loay Abu Sultan,
Gazan father

Loay Abu Sultan, 27, from Sheikh Radwan in central Gaza, is witnessing his firstborn son suffer through his first months of life without basic nourishment.

“My son Mohammed is eight months old. He was born during the war. I dreamt of celebrating him. Instead, I’m watching him hungry,” he said. “We adults can survive. But a baby can’t. How do you explain to a baby that there’s no milk? How do you silence his cries?”

His wife, already weakened by months of poor nutrition, is unable to breastfeed. “We’re scared of what might happen tomorrow, of what we can’t control,” he said.

With the borders closed by the Israeli army for nearly three months, and critical aid struggling to enter and reach families, parents walk from pharmacies to clinics to hospitals searching for even a single can of formula, often in vain.

What was once routine – feeding a child – has become a life-and-death struggle. “This is a silent massacre,” said Dr Al Farra. “Not from bombs, but from neglect, from blockade, from inaction.”