The mother kissed what was left of her five-month-old daughter one last time and began to cry. Esra Abu Halib's baby now weighed less than she had at birth.
On a sunny street in the shattered Gaza Strip, Zainab Abu Khalib's bundle of belongings symbolised the last death from starvation after 21 months of war and Israeli aid restrictions.
The girl was taken to the pediatric ward of Nasser Hospital on Friday. She was already dead.
The morgue attendant carefully removed her Mickey Mouse shirt, pulling it over her sunken, open eyes. He lifted the hem of her pants, revealing her knobby knees. His thumb was wider than her ankle. He could count the bones of her chest.
According to her mother, the girl weighed more than 3 kg (6.6 lb) at birth. At the time of her death, she weighed less than 2 kg (4.4 lb).
The doctor said it was a case of “the most severe, extreme starvation.”
She was wrapped in a white burial sheet and laid on the sandy ground for prayers. The bundle was barely wider than the imam's stance. He raised his open palms and called upon Allah once more.
According to the latest death toll released by the territory's health ministry on Saturday, Zainab was one of 85 children who have died of malnutrition in Gaza over the past three weeks.
During the same period, another 42 adults died from causes related to malnutrition, the organization said.
“She needed a special baby formula that wasn't available in Gaza,” Zainab's father, Ahmed Abu Khalib, told The Associated Press as he prepared for her funeral prayers in the courtyard of a hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis.
Dr Ahmed Al Farah, head of the paediatric department, said the girl needed a special formula that helps children with cow's milk allergies.
He said she had no underlying medical conditions, but the lack of formula had left her with chronic diarrhea and vomiting. She was unable to swallow because her weakened immune system had led to a bacterial infection and sepsis, and she rapidly lost weight.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
