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Surgeon warns Gaza patients dying from wounds due to starvation

Oliver Mizzi17 July, 2025

Hospital patients in Gaza are dying from preventable wounds and infections because of severe malnutrition caused by Israel's blockade, a British surgeon working in the territory has said.

Professor Nick Maynard, currently at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis with Medical Aid for Palestinians' Emergency Medical Team, warned that Gaza's food crisis has drastically worsened since his last visit.

"The malnutrition I'm seeing here is indescribably bad. It's much, much worse now than a year ago," he said.

Maynard described a situation where medical staff have lost up to 30kg due to ongoing food shortages, and where patients, including children, are unable to heal because of extreme nutritional deficiencies.

"I have had so many patients die because they can't get enough food to recover, it's distressing to see that and know that it is preventable and treatable," he said.

He added that babies were also dying due to a lack of nutritional support, while children as young as 12 are being treated for gunshot wounds sustained near aid distribution sites operated by the US and Israel backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation(GHF).

The GHF has come under global criticism over the presence of armed mercenaries at their sites and what the UN called their 'lethal' system of aid distribution. 

The UN's human rights office said that 865 Palestinians have been killed near aid hubs in the past six weeks, including 674 near GHF-run sites. Most of the deaths were caused by Israeli fire, with others reportedly killed by armed personnel linked to the GHF.

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Maynard said Israel’s blockade has created "enforced malnutrition" and accused Israeli forces of targeting civilians and deliberately starving the population.

"The fact the world is letting Israel get away with this is deeply upsetting. Something must be done to stop this collective punishment of the population of Gaza," he said.

His testimony was echoed by Save the Children. Rachel Cummings, the organisation's humanitarian director for Gaza, said the situation for children and mothers was catastrophic.

Cummings told The New Arab that alongside children dying, it was "agonising to see the number of pregnant and breastfeeding women who are malnourished due to lack of food".

Cummings urged Israel to open humanitarian access. "The government of Israel must allow life-saving food, medical supplies and staff to enter the Gaza Strip through the established humanitarian system to prevent more children's lives and futures being lost to malnutrition and disease," she added.

Since the war began in October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed at least 58,573 Palestinians and wounded 139,607 more, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The true death toll is estimated to be much higher.

Israel faces multiple accusations of war crimes over its conduct in Gaza. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

According to the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, 93 percent of Gaza’s population faces acute food insecurity, with one in four residents living in famine-like conditions.