It's starvation for mothers and babies as Israel squeezes Gaza

MORE THAN 9,000 CHILDREN WERE TREATED FOR MALNUTRITION THIS YEAR

- KHAN YOUNIS

Grabbing her daughter's feeble arm, Asmaa Al Arja pulls a shirt over the two-year-old's protruding ribs and swollen belly.

The child lies on a hospital bed, heaving, then wails uncontrollably, throwing her arms around her own shoulders as if to console herself.

This isn't the first time Mayar has been in a Gaza hospital battling malnutrition, yet this 17-day stint is the longest. She has celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that means she can't eat gluten and requires special food. But there's little left for her to eat in the embattled enclave after 19 months of war and Israel's punishing blockade, and she can't digest what's available.