At least 15 Palestinians, including a six-week-old baby, have died from hunger in the past 24 hours in Gaza, local health officials say, highlighting a worsening food crisis that is now killing people faster than at any time since the war began 21 months ago.

The baby, identified as Yousef al-Safadi, died in a hospital in northern Gaza. Three of the others were children, including 13-year-old Abdulhamid al-Ghalban, who died in Khan Younis in the south.

The health ministry said the other two children were not named. According to officials, at least 101 people have died of hunger during the conflict, including 80 children, with most of the deaths occurring in recent weeks.

The severe hunger crisis comes amid continued restrictions on humanitarian supplies. Israel controls all aid entering Gaza, where a majority of the population has been displaced multiple times and now faces extreme shortages of food, water, and medicine.

Hospitals are unable to respond to hunger-related illnesses as they are already overwhelmed by victims of daily bombings and gunfire.

Khalil al-Deqran, a spokesperson for the health ministry, said, “Hospitals are already overwhelmed by the number of casualties from gunfire. They can't provide much more help for hunger-related symptoms because of food and medicine shortages.”

He added that around 600,000 people are suffering from malnutrition, including at least 60,000 pregnant women, with many showing symptoms such as dehydration and anaemia.

The shortage of baby formula is particularly dire, with doctors and aid groups warning that infants are at high risk. UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said on Tuesday that even humanitarian workers are collapsing from hunger and fatigue.

“No one is spared: caretakers in Gaza are also in need of care. Doctors, nurses, journalists and humanitarians are hungry,” he said.

Despite global condemnation over the civilian death toll and worsening humanitarian situation, there has been no concrete international action to stop the war or significantly increase the amount of aid entering the enclave.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that images of people killed while collecting aid were “unbearable” and urged Israel to fulfill its promises to improve the situation. However, she did not outline any specific steps European nations would take.

The Israeli military responded by saying it considers the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza “a matter of utmost importance” and that it works closely with the international community to facilitate its entry.

Israel denied accusations of blocking aid and instead blamed Hamas for seizing supplies, a claim the group has denied.

Meanwhile, health officials said 72 Palestinians were killed in the last 24 hours by Israeli gunfire and bombings. On Tuesday, 16 more people were killed by tank shelling in Gaza City while living in tents.

The Israeli military said it had no knowledge of any such incident or artillery fire in that area at the time.

Daily efforts by civilians to collect food have become deadly. Since May, UNRWA estimates that more than 1,000 people have died while attempting to access food aid.

On Tuesday, men and boys were seen carrying sacks of flour through rubble and tents in Gaza City. “We haven’t eaten for five days,” said Mohammed Jundia. “Famine is killing people.”

On average, only 146 aid trucks per day have entered Gaza since the war began, according to Israeli military data. But the United States has said at least 600 trucks daily are needed to meet the needs of the population.

In a rare move, 25 Western nations that support Israel’s war against Hamas issued a statement on Monday condemning the "inhuman killing" of civilians in Gaza, but did not announce any direct measures.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the Israeli army "must stop killing people at distribution points," warning that "all options" were being considered if access to aid didn’t improve, without specifying what those options were.

Germany, however, declined to endorse the statement. Israel dismissed the criticism as “disconnected from reality” and claimed Hamas was responsible for the violence at food distribution sites, offering no evidence for the accusation.

Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas continue in Doha, where discussions are focused on a potential 60-day truce and a possible hostage exchange deal. So far, no breakthrough has been reported.