Pope demands ‘collective punishment’ end in Gaza as 10 more die of hunger

Latest deaths announced by Gaza health ministry bring starvation toll to 313, including 119 children

• Children make up a third of outpatients treated for wounds at MSF Gaza hospitals, data shows

Ten Palestinians including two children have died from starvation in the last 24 hours, health authorities in Gaza said on Wednesday, as Pope Leo XIV demanded that Israel stop its “collective punishment” of the population in the besieged territory.

At least 313 people have died from hunger, including 119 children, since the war in Gaza began and Israel intensified its siege on the Palestinian territory. Last week a UN-backed monitoring body confirmed that Gaza was in the throes of famine and warned that without more aid, increasing numbers of people would lose access to food.