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."
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.”
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Scorebox
Dubai Hurricanes 31 Dubai Sports City Eagles 22
Hurricanes
Tries: Finck, Powell, Jordan, Roderick, Heathcote
Cons: Tredray 2, Powell
Eagles
Tries: O’Driscoll 2, Ives
Cons: Carey 2
Pens: Carey
Sour%20Grapes
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EZakaria%20Tamer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESyracuse%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E176%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich 1
Kimmich (27')
Real Madrid 2
Marcelo (43'), Asensio (56')
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20myZoi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Syed%20Ali%2C%20Christian%20Buchholz%2C%20Shanawaz%20Rouf%2C%20Arsalan%20Siddiqui%2C%20Nabid%20Hassan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2037%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Initial%20undisclosed%20funding%20from%20SC%20Ventures%3B%20second%20round%20of%20funding%20totalling%20%2414%20million%20from%20a%20consortium%20of%20SBI%2C%20a%20Japanese%20VC%20firm%2C%20and%20SC%20Venture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Scoreline:
Barcelona 2
Suarez 85', Messi 86'
Atletico Madrid 0
Red card: Diego Costa 28' (Atletico)
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
