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Today's Paper | March 16, 2026

Updated 09 Jul, 2025 07:47pm

Gaza under-five mortality rises 10-fold since fighting began, says MSF

A survey by Doctors Without Borders — known by its French initials MSF — staff and their families has revealed an “appalling” death rate in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, Al Jazeera reports, citing the charity.

The retrospective mortality survey of 2,523 MSF staff and their family members in Gaza found that the mortality rate among Palestinian children under five had increased 10-fold, compared with health ministry estimates before the outbreak of the war.

For babies less than one month old, the mortality rate was six times higher, while among all those surveyed, it was five times higher.

Amande Bazerolle, deputy manager of MSF’s emergency department, condemned Israel’s “disregard for children’s lives”. “The children of Gaza are being decimated,” she said.

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