Yazan al-Kafarneh (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: ) was a Palestinian boy with

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...

who died from malnourishment on 4 March 2024, aged 10. He died during the ongoing

Gaza Strip famine The Gaza Strip famine is an ongoing famine in the Gaza Strip amid Israel-Hamas War, resulting from Israeli airstrikes and the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip by Israel, which includes restrictions on humanitarian aid. Airstrikes have dest ...

caused by the tightening of the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip during the Israel-Hamas war. He became a face for the children in Gaza and the Gaza Strip famine, with his image used by politicians and international organizations.

Background

Malnutrition screening conducted in the northern Gaza Strip in January 2024 by

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

and the World Food Programme found that nearly 16% of all children under the age of two were acutely malnourished with similar testing, finding at least 5% of children in Rafah under the age of two experiencing malnutrition. The crisis derives from Israeli airstrikes that have destroyed food infrastructure, and a widespread scarcity of essential supplies, combined with the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip and limited

humanitarian aid Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people who need help. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by the government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and ...

. On 3 January 2024, Arif Husain, the chief economist at the World Food Programme, stated 80 percent of all people in the world experiencing famine or catastrophic hunger were in the Gaza Strip, stating, "In my life, I’ve never seen anything like this in terms of severity". The same month, head of Israel's COGAT Colonel Moshe Tetro, who facilitates humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, claimed that there was no food shortage in Gaza.

Death

Al-Kafarneh lived with his family in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza before the war with his family able to provide him enough food, water and medical care. Likely due to his condition al-Kafarneh would have had to have a specialized diet made up of soft and highly nutritional foods. However multiple Israeli airstrikes caused the family to relocate several times and in an effort to find him better care, food and water the family relocated to Rafah in southern Gaza which had been deemed a safe area by the Israeli government. Al-Kafarneh was admitted into the Yousef Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah before succumbing to malnutrition after 10 days. His mother stated that al-Kafarneh's health rapidly deteriorated and he lost weight until his appearance resembled a skeleton, and had reached a point where he needed a specific regime of food and nutrients. In images taken before al-Kafarneh died, he is described by ''New York Times'' reporters as having flesh that is shrunken and shriveled, that is pallid and stretched tight over every curve of bone and sagging with every hollow. One of the more widely shared photos of him online, shows his right hand with an intravenous line.

Aftermath

His image and death were utilized in a speech at the

UN General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

in New York, by the Palestine representative to the UN, Riyad Mansour. Mansour stated that his death was due to Israel using starvation as a weapon of war, and called for the end of Israeli impunity. Photos of al-Kafarneh were reposted online by activists, journalists, and Palestinian supporters, to bring a human face to the humanitarian disaster in Gaza due to the ongoing offensive, issues with humanitarian aid delivery, and potential famine. An ''Al Jazeera'' video report highlighting the lack of food and plight of civilians in the Gaza Strip was made in front of al-Kafarneh's body as it was being prepared for burial, showing his emaciated body. Al-Kafarneh's father appealed to the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

to highlight the plight of Palestinian children suffering from malnutrition in Gaza.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kafarneh, Yazan 2024 deaths Child deaths Children in war Civilians killed in the Israel–Hamas war Death in the Gaza Strip Palestinian children Rafah in the Israel–Hamas war Deaths by starvation 2024 in the Gaza Strip March 2024 events in Asia Deaths by person in the State of Palestine

Background

Death

Aftermath

See also

References