The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip has warned of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the region, stating that famine has reached catastrophic levels.

In a statement, the Ministry said that more than 2.4 million Palestinians — including 1.1 million children — are at risk of death due to hunger and the depletion of essential supplies. It reported that 71 children have died as a result of malnutrition, while 600,000 children under the age of ten face a serious threat to their lives, including 60,000 infants deprived of baby formula and 60,000 pregnant women suffering from severe malnutrition.

The Ministry further explained that medical teams are working under extremely harsh conditions, amid an almost complete collapse of the healthcare system and a critical shortage of medicine and medical care. This situation poses a real threat of mass deaths among patients with diabetes, hypertension, heart and kidney diseases, as well as among the elderly and pregnant women.

The Ministry called for the opening of Gaza’s border crossings and the entry of food and humanitarian aid to prevent a full-scale catastrophe.