‘Permanently damaged her’: Israel’s starvation of Gaza leaves children stunted

In a small room in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood, six-year-old Amira Rashid lies on a mattress, too weak to move. Her hands are bruised and blue from the intravenous drips she has been receiving. Under normal circumstances, the Palestinian girl would be preparing to start her first year of school later this month. Instead, months of starvation by Israel during the genocide in Gaza have left her severely malnourished and stunted, with lasting effects on her physical and cognitive development. “I was hoping to enrol Amira in school, buy her a uniform, a backpack and stationery like the other children,” her mother, Aya Rashid, told Middle East Eye. Read more: ‘Permanently damaged her’: Israel’s starvation of Gaza leaves children stunted