Mohamed, the story of the malnourished baby that highlights the extreme hunger in Gaza

Mohamed Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq is barely a year and a half old and weighs just six kilos. His image, captured by photographer Ahmed al-Arini on July 21, has spread around the world as a symbol of the severe humanitarian crisis affecting the Gaza Strip amid the conflict with Israel. The baby appears with his mother, Hedaya al-Muta, in a makeshift tent, where they are surviving without access to food or basic services.

"He now weighs 6 kilos, compared to 9 kilos before. He used to eat and drink normally, but due to the food shortage and the current situation, he's suffering from severe malnutrition," the mother said in an interview with the BBC . The boy, according to Hedaya, is unable to sit or stand on his own and has a noticeable back deformity due to his physical deterioration.

Hedaya said she lost her husband during the bombings. Since then, she has struggled alone to keep her son alive. “I work hard, but I can't even afford baby formula,” she said. Mohamed has developed “curved back” syndrome and a bulging back due to a lack of nutrients and the harsh living conditions.

Photographer Ahmed al-Arini shared how capturing that image was emotionally devastating: “I had to pause after each shot to catch my breath so I could continue,” he said.

According to the United Nations (UN), there are nearly 6,000 aid trucks waiting to enter the Strip. The agency stated that the food crisis in the enclave has never been more severe.

Israel, for its part, maintains that it has allowed the aid to enter, but blames the UN for not distributing it properly. It also indicated that the malnutrition cases are Hamas's fault. Benjamin Netanyahu's government announced that in the coming days it will allow foreign countries to airdrop aid into Gaza.

Medical teams on the ground, such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF), have warned of "catastrophic levels of malnutrition." The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that at least 122 people have died from malnutrition, including 83 children.

The photo of Mohamed, using a plastic bag as a diaper, highlights how skyrocketing prices have become. “He hasn't received any milk or vitamins,” said the reporter, who also stated that he himself is starving: “I haven't eaten anything since this morning.”

Ahmed explained that doing his job has become physically unbearable: "I walk to take my photos and I get dizzy. I lose my balance because I'm hungry, we're exhausted." He added that he's seen colleagues collapse while filming.

According to the photojournalist, the products are traded on a difficult-to-access black market. “The little aid that's coming into Gaza isn't enough for anyone, and all that's arriving are sacks of flour, even though water is scarce. And of course, because water is so scarce, black market prices have skyrocketed, so now a kilo of flour costs US$16,” he stated.

The photographer recalls what Gaza was like before the war: "Clean, beautiful streets, now everything is destruction." He added: "We've gone way back to the Middle Ages," he asserted.

Beyond the infrastructure, Ahmed denounces the breakdown of the social fabric. “People are exhausted by this war, and even more exhausted by hunger and thirst,” he said.

Mohamed's image has served to highlight the suffering of thousands of Palestinian families caught in the conflict. But, according to Ahmed, there are many more cases. "The other day I took some photos of a 17-year-old boy who lost 25 kilos in just one month. People can't find food (...), and people are fighting for a little help, risking their lives to get something," he said.