'Gaza's maelstrom of human misery'

70,000 CHILDREN IN ADVANCED STATE OF MALNUTRITION

- By Giles Sheldrick Chief Reporter

A MOTHER tenderly cradles her emaciated son in a stark image that encapsulates the “maelstrom of human misery” gripping Gaza.

Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub alMatoug, one, is the same weight as a three-month-old infant.

With bones protruding through his skin, Muhammad has dropped from 19Ib to 131b as famine takes hold of the war-battered enclave.

Starvation has hit a level never seen before in the humanitarian crisis triggered by the conflict following the October 7 Hamas atrocities.

At least 12 children have died from malnutrition in the past 48 hours alone and last night the world called for an end to the torment.