Health officials in Gaza say at least 16 children have died in recent days from starvation and dehydration as Israel’s assault on Gaza continues. UNICEF is warning the number of child deaths will likely “rapidly increase” unless the war ends. Pediatricians in Gaza say they have nothing to give malnourished children.

Dr. Imad Dardonah: “Yes, malnutrition plays a major role in the number of children that come to us, and thus in the number of deaths there are. When a child is supposed to eat three meals a day and ends up eating one meal, that’s not enough for him. Your body becomes deficient in carbohydrates, vitamins, proteins and deficient in fats that are necessary for the body. Then the body goes into a severe dehydration state. I can honestly say that we can’t even deal properly with 50, 60% of the cases we receive, because we have nothing to give them. The most we can do for them is either give them saline solution or sugar solution.”