Huda lost half her bodyweight in a matter of months, forcing her to be admitted to hospital. In July, she said she knew she looked unwell and that the conflict in Gaza had “changed” her.

Huda Abu al Naja, a 12-year-old girl from Gaza who had suffered from severe undernutrition for months, has passed away at Nasser Hospital, according to reports from The Times of Israel.

Huda, who was said to have coeliac disease, lost her life due to a “simple infection” that her weakened body could no longer fight, after months without proper nutrition, the paper reported, citing a journalist from Haaretz.

When a Sky News team visited the hospital in July, they were told Huda had lost half of her body weight since March.

Her mother shared that her daughter’s needs were simple — fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, and a bit of meat — but there was “almost nothing available” after the crossings into Gaza were closed and restrictions were imposed.

Many of the children in the same ward were being given dextrose — a sugar-and-water mix with no real nutritional value — in the absence of proper food.

Ongoing limitations on the entry of essential supplies have caused a severe hunger crisis in Gaza City, according to the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) and aid groups, with widespread hardship across the territory.

Data from border authorities shows that the amount of food entering Gaza has often been below the “bare minimum” needed to meet basic human requirements.

In July, Huda said she knew she didn’t look well.

“Before, I used to look like this,” Huda said, pointing to a photo on her tablet.

“The conflict changed me. Lack of nutrition has turned my hair yellow because I don’t get enough protein. You see here, this is how I was before.”

She was asking for help.

“Can you help me travel abroad for treatment? I want to be like other children. I want to play and smile like them,” she said.

International organisations had been trying for months before her passing to help arrange her evacuation for medical care, Haaretz reported.