As Gaza faces total blockade and collapse, a doctor from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has painted a haunting picture of what starvation truly looks like, not in theory, but in real time.
Mohammed Abu Mughaisib, a deputy medical coordinator in the besieged strip, has broken down the physical unraveling of the human body under starvation, even as he himself endures it.
'The Body Begins to Consume Itself'
Mughaisib explained that within just hours of food deprivation, the body begins to burn through glycogen, its emergency sugar reserve. By day three, as those stores run out, it turns to fat, converting it into ketones to keep the brain working. Soon after, the body begins to cannibalise itself, consuming its own muscle tissue, including the heart, to survive.
"This is when children stop crying," Mughaisib said in a chilling remark, highlighting the silent, helpless descent of young lives into death.
“For the past months, I have been surviving on one meal per day,” he added. “And in the last few days, I have even had only one meal every two days. Not because I cannot afford it, but because there is nothing to buy.”
With markets emptied, health workers collapsing, and ambulance drivers starving, he described a reality where “we are expected to save lives while our own are slowly being consumed.”
Gaza on the Brink
Israel’s war on Gaza has now entered its 21st month. Since October 7, 2023, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports nearly 60,000 Palestinians killed and over 142,500 injured, among them 17,400 children. UN agencies warn that over 470,000 people, including 71,000 children under five, are starving.
More than 1,060 people have died just trying to access food. Aid remains blocked since Israel’s full siege began on 2 March. While Israel denies using starvation as a weapon, citing Hamas interference and administrative hurdles, international organisations say the evidence speaks for itself.
“This has to stop. To use food, water, and aid as weapons in this world, it's not acceptable at all," Mughaisib pleaded.
