Gaza health chief warns of mass starvation, collapse

Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, Director General of the Health Ministry in Gaza, has warned of a deepening humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged enclave, describing the situation as living in a “triangle of death” due to the continued 'Israeli' assault and blockade that has lasted over nine months.

Speaking on Roya TV’s Donya Ya Donya program, Al-Bursh expressed gratitude to Jordan - its leadership, government, and people - for their continued support to Gaza, saying Jordan's stance is "deeply appreciated by the people of the Strip."

Al-Bursh said residents of Gaza are facing a severe famine, with many surviving only on salt and water for days. “Some people have lost up to 25 kilograms in recent weeks,” he noted, describing the situation as widespread across the population.

He cited alarming findings from a recent health survey of pregnant women and children, which revealed that over 50% now suffer from acute malnutrition, a sharp increase from just 0.5% at the start of the month. Al-Bursh called the figures “terrifying jumps” that point to total nutritional collapse.

He accused the Israeli Occupation of deliberately creating crises and committing a slow-motion genocide against civilians. Over 13% of Gaza’s population, he said, are crammed into an area no larger than one square kilometer, around 40,000 people living in what he called a “maze of death.”

Al-Bursh concluded by stating that Gaza has entered the fourth - and possibly fifth - stage of famine, warning that the international community remains silent as the war continues with no real pressure to stop it.

Also appearing on the program, Jordanian doctor Ihab Jaradat, who recently returned from a medical mission to Gaza with the “Mercy Around the World” delegation, described the situation as “catastrophic in every sense.”

He said that Nasser Medical Complex is functioning without the most basic resources, while the population in northern Gaza lives among ruins, tents, and debris. “The medical staff is completely exhausted, trying to save lives in impossible conditions,” Jaradat said, highlighting the severe shortage of medications, equipment, and sanitary infrastructure.

Jaradat stressed that the disaster in Gaza is not only a medical or humanitarian crisis but a total collapse of life itself, calling on the international community to act urgently to save what remains.